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USA soccer vs. Panama score: Sloppy USMNT stunned at Copa America, chances of advancing take huge hit

A red card from Tim Weah set the wrong tone in a shocking upset

Panama came from behind to beat the U.S. men's national team 2-1 on Thursday at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a Copa America group stage match that was marred by a red card for each team.

The U.S.' game plan went out the window in the 18th minute when Timothy Weah was given a straight red card for a shove on Panama's Roderick Miller. The referee originally awarded Weah a yellow card but upon review, he upgraded the punishment, which reduced the USMNT to 10 players for the remainder of the match.

The hosts responded just four minutes later by taking the lead, courtesy of Folarin Balogun. He combined nicely with Antonee Robinson and then took a stellar strike from the edge of the penalty area, scoring his second goal of the tournament. Their lead was short-lived, though, with Cesar Blackman scoring from close range in the 26th minute as Panama benefitted from a turnover and caught the USMNT's defense off guard.

Panama spent much of the game as the dominant side, boasting 72.5% of possession and outshooting the USMNT 13-6. Los Canaleros were wasteful as they searched for their go-ahead goal, putting just four of their shots on target and losing the expected goals battle 0.92 to 1.04, but were rewarded for their one-man advantage in the 82nd minute. Substitute Jose Fajardo scored the goal from close range, cementing the loss for the USMNT.

A chaotic match took another turn just four minutes later when Adalberto Carrasquilla picked up a red card of his own for kicking out at Christian Pulisic, who was making a run at goal as the USMNT fervently searched for an equalizer that never came.

The result means that the USMNT and Panama are now tied on points in Group C and are likely in a battle for second place. The pair most likely need wins in their final group stage games on Monday, with the tiebreakers favoring the hosts. The schedule does not benefit the U.S., though -- they have to play Uruguay, who are now the favorites to top the group, while Panama face current bottom-dwellers Bolivia.

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Live updates
 

Can Christian Pulisic move up the USMNT scoring ranks?

Pulisic is currently tied for fifth for all time USMNT goals with 30 after scoring against Bolivia. Currently tied with Brian McBride, Pulisic can take sole possession of the spot tonight. If he has a really good day, Pulisic may even threaten Eric Wynalda in fourth as he sits with 34 goals.

 

Panama's XI

Quite a few changes incoming from the team that lost to Uruguay

Starters: Orlando Mosquera, Cesar Blackmon, Jose Cordoba, Christian Martinez, Adalberto Carrasquilla, Eduardo Guerrero, Edgar Barcenas, Eric Davis, Michael Murillo, Roderick Miller, Edgardo Farina

 

USMNT storylines

After a strong performance against Bolivia, it's all about building on that in this match against Panama. Some players such as Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams do have room for improvement in the match but it's just as important to let them play through their struggles. If Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun can find the back of the net again, the USMNT will advance to the knockout stages.

 

Copa America power rankings

Before the second round of group stage games began on Tuesday, Chuck Booth dropped his latest batch of Copa America power rankings. It's full of good news for Argentina and Uruguay, who take up the top two spots after one game each, while the USMNT rank fourth and Panama rank 13th out of 16th. Here's what Booth had to say about both the U.S. and Panama before today's game.

  • United States: Like Argentina, it wasn't the greatest performance by the United States to kick things off, but it can't be taken for granted how important it is to just pick up three points. A day where Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun both find the back of the net is a good day and there are plenty of reasons for Gregg Berhalter to feel confident about their matchup with Panama.
  • Panama: In the first half, Panama were overrun by Uruguay, but they found their way in the second half, even netting a goal. Now they get to go toe-to-toe with the USMNT in what will be yet another tough matchup. They can't let Adalberto Carrasquilla get marked out of that game as well.
 

How the USMNT will lineup

There are no changes from a strong performance against Bolivia as Gregg Berhalter is trusting his team to get the job done.

Starters: Matt Turner, Joe Scally, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Folarin Balogun, Christian Pulisic
 

The Pulisic effect

Christian Pulisic has long been the most promising USMNT player of his generation, and the 25-year-old is officially living up to the billing as the on-field north star of the group. The attacker is coming off his career-best club season, scoring 16 times and notching 10 assists in his debut season for AC Milan. That form is translating to the national team and on Sunday, he became the fastest player to score 30 goals for the national team, doing so in 69 games.

Head coach Gregg Berhalter had only compliments for Pulisic after their 2-0 win over Bolivia, when he scored just three minutes into the match.

  • Berhalter: "He's a selfless leader. He goes out and competes and works, works really hard and that helps the team and then you add to the fact that he's highly skilled and can make plays on the offensive end and create chances on the offensive end. It's a great combination, and what you see is him supporting his teammates, him backing guys, him pushing guys. To me, it was an outstanding performance tonight. He got coach's man of the match and it was much deserved."
 

How to watch and odds

  • Date: Thursday, June 26 | Time: 6 p.m. ET
  • Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium -- Atlanta, Georgia
  • TV: FOX  | Live stream: Fubo (try for free)
  • Odds: United States -280; Draw +360; Panama +900
 

Field of nightmares

The pitches at the Copa America host venues have been a hot topic of conversations for the competing teams, from the quality of the grass to the dimensions of the field. Tournament organizers opted for the smallest pitch size permitted for an international game -- 109 by 70 yards -- and have also had to replace the turf fields with grass options at the venues, most of which are NFL stadiums. It has led to less-than-ideal pitches that players and coaches have complained about and as the USMNT's Tim Ream notes, alternate planning by players before the games.

The defender stopped by Morning Footy to discuss how players are dealing with the surfaces.
 

USMNT vs. Panama preview

Panama's strengths might provide pain points that are specific to the USMNT's style of play, chiefly in attack. The U.S. can be somewhat wasteful in attack, failing to convert their many scoring opportunities, while Panama can play a compact style that makes them hard to break down for any offensive group. Here's the Morning Footy crew's perspective on today's matchup, in which "neither side will be in awe of the other," as Tony Meola puts it.
 

Group C outlook

The USMNT enter today's match second in Group C after one game, but tied on points with first-place Uruguay. Here's a quick glance at the group standings before Group C action resumes today with both the USMNT game and Uruguay's clash with Bolivia later today in New Jersey. Quick reminder: The top two teams advance to the quarterfinals and the bottom two will be going home.

  1. Uruguay, 3 points (+2 goal differential)
  2. United States, 3 points (+2 goal differential)
  3. Panama, 0 points (-2 goal differential)
  4. Bolivia, 0 points (-2 goal differential)
 

Players to watch

  • Folarin Balogun: Working to integrate with the USMNT attack, this is the longest camp that Balogun will have spent with the team. His growth is already showing based on scoring his fourth career goal for the USMNT against Bolivia but more will be expected as expectations are high for his performances. Balogun seemed a little hesitant at times but taking more shots sooner will only bode well for his finishing. 
  • Tyler Adams: If Adams does start the match, his play will be closely watched. Against Bolivia, he was shaking off rust so it's understandable that he struggled to have an impact but that can't happen against Panama. If Adams isn't fit to go at least 60 minutes, I wouldn't be surprised to see him start from the bench as tracking Carrasquilla during the match will be quite a task and it's one that will determine if the USMNT wins or not. 
  • Michael Murillo: The Marseille right back scored Panama's lone goal and will be someone that the USMNT need to keep an eye on. One of Panama's outlets to push the ball up the pitch, Murillo had 63 touches against Uruguay taking two shots with his chances. He's heavily involved defensively and will be needed to keep up with the USMNT's wings and it's a battle that the Americans can't lose. 
 

Scouting Panama

The USMNT may be the heavy favorites against Panama, but Los Canaleros boast plenty of their own qualities that could give the hosts a tough time today. Here's Jonathan Johnson's scouting report ahead of the game.

  • Style of play: Panama aim to be solid and hard to break down which is why much of their approach is midfield-based which is mirrored in the four-man middle in front of three central defenders. It is an approach that has met with success when used by the likes of Atalanta BC and RC Lens in Europe but it requires the necessary quality to pull off.
  • Strengths: As mentioned, having much of the team's main quality pieces in the midfield makes that their most valuable position. However, the setup also dictates that very fit players are required in order to truly perform at optimum level to make the most of this tactical setup.
  • Weaknesses: Outside of the starting XI and even in certain positions, there is not much in the way of depth which means that any physical issue or suspensions could prove costly.
 

Last time out

The USMNT opened their Copa America journey with a 2-0 win over Bolivia, a game in which Christian Pulisic and Antonee Robinson stood out as two of the team's top performers. That said, there are still plenty of questions to answer in midfield, where head coach Gregg Berhalter opted to play Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna. Adams is still returning from a long-term hamstring injury and so his rust showed, but McKennie was underwhelming and so the trio failed to strike a balance despite the U.S. dominating possession.

Here's Chuck Booth on the USMNT's ongoing midfield struggles.

  • Booth: "There were moments like McKennie's slaloming run on a [Folarin] Balogun goal that was called back due to being offside that were good, but when it came to playing a complete match, it was lower than the expectations for the Juventus man. It's a bit unexpected, as, of the midfielders, McKennie was coming into this tournament with the best club form under his belt, with seven assists in Serie A play but he only created one chance against Bolivia. More will be needed from McKennie moving forward or Berhalter may need to dip into his newfound depth to create a balanced midfield. In Johnny Cardoso and Yunus Musah, Berhalter has midfielders knocking on the door for multiple spots, but can only play three of them. In years past, McKennie's inclusion in one of those spots would've felt automatic, but fewer places are automatic at this stage."
 

Gregg Berhalter on the pitch

As the pitch in Atlanta has drawn criticism from the Argentina national team Gregg Berhalter talked about how he prepares the USMNT for playing on an unfamiliar pitch.

"For us, I don't share the same views as the Argentina team because we just haven't had that same experience so it's very hard for us to judge that but what I would say is that we prepare the guys and tell them to check their footwear, see how the ball is rolling see how the ball is bouncing," Berhalter said. "Those are some important things that we instructed them on."

It's important that the USMNT adjusts as some fields have run faster or slower which changes the dynamic of the attack but you don't know until a game exactly how it will impact things. 

 

Hello and welcome!

The USMNT's Copa America campaign resumes today with a matchup against Panama and a spot in the last eight on the line. The hosts are heavily favored in this one but a game against a familiar foe could be a competitive one, especially as Panama prefer to play a compact style in midfield that can be hard to break down. The USMNT will need to be at their best not just to win, but to impress onlookers who hope for a big performance at the World Cup on home soil in two years' time.

Though this match is expected to be one of the USMNT's easier trials at the Copa America, the pressure is on head coach Gregg Berhalter and his players to perform today. They entered this competition to test themselves against some of the world's top teams before the 2026 World Cup, and while bigger matches are on the horizon, it is just as important for the team to prove that it has graduated from beating regional opposition.

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