ATLANTA — Heading into Copa America 2024, the U.S. men's national team was supposed to show growth after its strong showing at the 2022 World Cup. It was supposed to have matured. It was supposed to take the next step toward ascending to the global elite.
But on Thursday, the United States not only showed that they still have a long way to go, they took a huge step back, suffering a 2-1 loss to Panama that severely damaged their hopes of reaching the knockout rounds of the Copa América. .
The United States now needs a win over group favorite Uruguay to ensure advancement. To make matters worse, Panama's win means Uruguay has not secured a spot in the quarterfinals, meaning The light blue They will have something to play for against the US instead of possibly resting players.
It's a defeat that hurts on multiple levels, but what hurts most is that what happened was nothing the United States had not seen before. CONMEBOL may be running this tournament, but this was a match straight out of Concacaf, with all the audacity, shady refereeing decisions and cunning that have long been a staple of matches in the region.
However, the United States, no matter how much it claimed to be prepared for whatever Panama might bring, seemed incapable of dealing with it at critical moments. The game changed completely in the 16th minute when American winger Tim Weah attempted to land not one, but two blows on Panamanian defender Roderick Miller (only the second connected), leaving referee Ivan Barton with no choice but to send off Weah when the VAR detected the infringement.
It was an unforgivable act of indiscipline from a player who had only previously received one red card in his entire professional career. Although tournament rules prohibited Weah from addressing the media, he turned to his teammates afterwards and apologised.
“Timmy knows the mistake he made. That's all,” said teammate Christian Pulisic. “He's going to learn from it. It sucks. It's not the way you want to put your team in that position. It hurts. It's a tiny mistake, it's a lapse in judgment. It's just a simple second, you respond to something.”
The United States initially responded magnificently, with Folarin Balogun scoring a sumptuous goal in the 22nd minute to put the tournament hosts ahead. But the Canalero They tied four minutes later thanks to César Blackman. His goal capped a dizzying rollercoaster ride that the United States didn't necessarily enjoy. It included a disallowed goal to Weston McKennie and a leg injury to goalkeeper Matt Turner that ultimately forced him out of the match.
But after Blackman's goal, the U.S. struggled to gain any sort of foothold in the game, with Panama dictating the terms both tactically and emotionally. Barton seemed to be constantly drawing the ire of the U.S. team.
“We talked beforehand about this referee's tendencies,” Berhalter said. “We knew what he was capable of and, to be honest, I think we played into his hands.”
The only question left was whether the U.S. could hold on. It didn't, as substitute Jose Fajardo scored a lone goal in the 83rd minute after U.S. defender Cameron Carter-Vickers was slow to react. It didn't help that the U.S. struggled mightily to maintain any semblance of possession.
“Obviously we would have liked to have the ball a little bit more, but with the man down and not being in control, it's hard to get it back,” said defender Tim Ream. “So yeah, it would have been great, but we knew our transition and our counterattacks were going to be the key from that point on, and that's what we tried to focus on.”
There have been warning signs recently that the U.S. is having a tough time facing Concacaf opponents. Last November, it lost to Trinidad and Tobago in the second leg of the Concacaf Nations League, due in part to another disciplinary lapse, this time by Sergiño Dest.
In March, in the same competition, the American team was saved from an own goal that allowed them to win in extra time. However, the message that is being conveyed loud and clear is not getting through.
No doubt some of that will be blamed on Berhalter, as it should be. But it cannot be a situation where all That's what it's about. These players have already lived the experience of a World Cup, as well as the rigors of a qualification campaign. This adds to the experience they have accumulated at club level. Weah should know better, simple as that. The same thing happened with Dest against Trinidad and Tobago.
1:49
Did Berhalter make a mistake in tactics after Weah's red card?
Herculez Gómez questions Gregg Berhalter's decision to use three defensemen after the USMNT went down to 10 men against Panama.
Perhaps this team, a generation that has been continually praised for its talent, is not as good as it is thought to be. At least, it still has some growth to do.
The irony of all this is that the least experienced American player was one of the few who seemed most willing to put up a fight. This was Balogun, who in addition to scoring a goal, did a great job on offense, doing what he could to not only be dangerous, but also to cause fouls that gave the United States set-piece opportunities and allowed them to recover. the breath.
While it wasn't Balogun's fault, it wasn't enough, and with Panama likely to take on Bolivia in its final group game, the United States has to find a way to beat Uruguay while also increasing its lead enough. of goals. .
“This game is going to create frustration. 'Well, what's up with the referee or what's up with this?'. We can't just sit here and make excuses,” midfielder Tyler Adams said. “We're not that kind of team. We can't be that kind of team. I think when you let that start to creep into your mentality, you set yourself up for failure.”
The only good news is that there is still one more group stage game left to play and, just like their game against Iran in the 2022 World Cup, the United States knows what they have to do.
“We have to go and represent our country with passion and we have to go and play the best game of our lives and that's it,” Pulisic said. “We want to go and we want to win. We want to continue in this competition.”
Otherwise, there will be recriminations for both the coach and the players.
