KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The United States was eliminated from the Copa America after losing 1-0 to Uruguay at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Monday.
In the other group game, Panama defeated Bolivia 3-1 and the U.S. needed a win to advance, but Mathias Olivera’s 66th-minute goal counted despite being very close to being offside, and that made the difference. The U.S. generated just eight shot attempts worth 0.41 xG, and goalkeeper Sergio Rochet saved all four that were on target.
It was a physical game from the start and despite needing only a draw to advance, Uruguay fielded its usual starting lineup and looked more than willing to engage in physical play. There were 14 fouls in the first half and two injury substitutions (Uruguay's Maximiliano Araújo in the 27th minute and American Folarin Balogun in the 41st) before the game opened up a bit in the second half.
In a short time, the United States went from looking like it would advance thanks to the tying goal in the Panama-Bolivia match (it needed to equal or surpass Panama's score) to falling behind because of Olivera's goal. Panama quickly secured its match and that's what happened.
Manager rating (scale of 1 to 10; 10 = best)
Gregg Berhalter, 5 years old With his hands tied by Timothy Weah's red card, he opted to move Giovanni Reyna from midfield to the left and put Yunus Musah in central midfield. Neither Reyna nor Musah performed brilliantly and, after introducing Ricardo Pepi in place of the injured Balogun, Berhalter waited until the 72nd minute to make another change. It was always going to be difficult to find answers in this game, but yet he found nothing of the sort.
Player ratings (1-10; players introduced after 70 minutes are not rated)
Goalkeeper Matt Turner, 6 — After suffering a leg injury against Panama, Turner's condition was a major topic ahead of the match. While his ball distribution was an issue at times, he was perfectly fine in terms of stopping shots and didn't make too many mistakes in Uruguay's goal.
DF Antonee Robinson, 6 — After a couple of dangerous early plays, Robinson struggled to get involved in the attack and lost several balls in frustrating fashion. He was often effective in recovering balls for both Fulham and the U.S. national team, but only recovered three balls on Monday.
Defenseman Chris Richards, 6 — Richards has had some problems distributing the ball in recent games, but has generally been good in this area, and his 11 defensive interventions were the most on the team.
Defenseman Tim Ream, 7 — Sure and steady in the first half, he put out a couple of potential fires when the game opened up in the second and easily led the team with 21 combined progressive passes and carries.
Defenseman Joe Scally, 6 — The United States relied heavily on attacking down the right and Scally had the most touches of the ball in the first 45 minutes. However, he was fouled hard at the end of the first half and his contributions were limited after the break.
MF Tyler Adams, 7 years old — Despite playing just 45 minutes in each of the U.S.'s first two games, and despite an early yellow card, Adams played the full 90 minutes, tied for the team lead with 11 defensive interventions and helped spark some promising vertical attacks in the first half.
MF Yunus Musah, 5 — In his first start at the tournament, Musah barely touched the ball and was substituted for a striker in the 72nd minute.
MF Weston McKennie, 6 years The U.S. had a strong early presence in the midfield, winning several loose balls and forcing turnovers. McKennie had a role to play in that, but struggled to play a significant role later in the game, finishing with a completion percentage of just 69% (18 of 26) and eight combined progressive passes and carries.
FS Giovanni Reyna, 5 — The 21-year-old had a very mixed career. Playing in a new position due to Weah’s suspension, Reyna struggled to get into the game in the first half, with the U.S. building heavily on the right. His offensive contributions improved in the second half and he created two chances, but he was also responsible for a careless and unnecessary foul that resulted in the free kick that led to the goal.
Forward Christian Pulisic, 6 — Much of the attacking play came from Pulisic, who made plenty of smart plays. However, his touch betrayed him. He completed just 15 of 25 passes and none of his three shot attempts (combined xG: 0.14) produced much danger.
FW Folarin Balogun, 6 — He was playing a great game in every aspect, with good plays and good pressing, before the tough clash with Rochet in the 28th minute, which ultimately led to his substitution.
Substitutes
Forward Ricardo Pepi (49 minutes), 6 — In the first two games, Pepi played as a substitute and attempted seven shots in 43 minutes. On Monday night he did not attempt any in 49 minutes, although he completed 15 of 16 passes and created two chances.
FW Josh Sargent (18 minutes), NR — He completed just two of four passes, with one shot attempted and one foul committed.
FW Haji Wright (11 minutes), NR — He didn't have many opportunities to make a difference, but he did have one of his team's eight shot attempts.
FW Malik Tillman (1 minute + stoppage time), NR — He was on the field long enough to complete two passes.
