Tim Weah threw an inexcusable punch, and the United States took an enormous blow to its hopes of advancing on the Copa America.
Jose Fajardo beat backup goalkeeper Ethan Horvath within the 83rd minute to give Panama a 2-1 victory on Thursday night time over the shorthanded Americans, placing the host nation in peril of elimination if it would not beat Uruguay in its first-round finale.
The U.S. performed a lot of the sport a person down after Weah was despatched off within the 18th minute.
“You never mean to get a red card. Under no type of circumstances,” teammate Tyler Adams mentioned. “He apologized to the team.”
Weah issued a public apology on social media.
“I let my team and my country down,” he mentioned. “A moment of frustration let to an irreversible consequence, and for that I am deeply sorry to my teammates, coaches, family and our fans.”
Weah was despatched off by Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton with a straight pink card for punching Roderick Miller behind the pinnacle.
“A silly, silly decision by Timmy that leaves us shorthanded,” coach Gregg Berhalter mentioned.
Folarin Balogun put the U.S. forward within the twenty second minute however Cesar Blackman tied the rating within the twenty sixth.
Horvath, who changed injured Matt Turner at halftime, could not forestall Fajardo’s close-range shot from going by means of his arms, and Panama beat the U.S. for simply the third time in 27 conferences.
“A win tonight would have put us in a great position, and unfortunately the opposite happened,” American star Christian Pulisic mentioned. “I’m proud of the effort that we responded with after obviously what happened [with Weah], but just really disappointed that’s the way we did it.”
Decisive sport vs. Uruguay on horizon
The U.S., which opened with a win in opposition to Bolivia, seemingly will want to beat 15-time Copa champion Uruguay on Monday at Kansas City, Missouri, so as to end among the many high two groups in Group C and earn a quarterfinal berth.
“We believe in this group,” Berhalter mentioned. “It’s a strong team. I think if we stay focused and stick to and execute a game plan, we’ll be OK.”
But failing to advance within the largest check for the Americans forward of the 2026 World Cup definitely would increase questions on whether or not Berhalter ought to stay in cost.
He acquired that very question not lengthy after the ultimate whistle.
“If we don’t qualify for the next round, should my job be in the line?” Berhalter mentioned, reducing proper to the purpose. “That’s not for me to determine.”
Weston McKennie appeared to put the U.S. forward within the fifth minute however the objective was disallowed for offside.
Panama misplaced to Uruguay 3-1 in its opener and closes group play in Orlando, Florida, in opposition to Bolivia, a staff with 14 straight Copa America losses after a 5-0 rout by the Uruguayans within the late sport Thursday night time.
“I’m Super happy with the victory,” Panama mentioned Thomas Christiansen mentioned. “I think it’s also well deserved, because we have read the game rightly. Even though they were missing a player for a long time, you had to score the goals to win this game. And when the score was 1-0, the situation was complicated, even if you played with one more, with the quality that the United States has shown.”
Now, it is the Panamanians — not the Americans — who’ve the higher hand to transfer on.
“I have clear ideas, my team also has clear ideas, about what it is capable of doing,” Christiansen mentioned. “We have achieved three fabulous points”.
A professional-American crowd of 59,145 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium was irate after Weah’s ejection, particularly after a number of different calls went in opposition to the house staff, however there was little query that the U.S. participant deserved the pink card.
Blackman didn’t obtain a card when he collided within the twelfth minute with a leaping Turner, who landed awkwardly on his proper arm and was down for a number of minutes whereas being tended to by medical personnel.
Balogun scored after a sloppy clearance. Antonee Robinson dribbled into the penalty space and handed to the striker. Balogun exchanged faucets with Robinson and curled a shot from the sting of the world off the within of the far put up and in for his fifth objective in 14 appearances.
Blackman tied the rating within the twenty sixth when he took a cross from Carrasquilla on the arc, dribbled round Robinson and shot by means of the legs of Richards and simply previous Turner’s outstretched arm.
Berhalter made three substitutions to begin the second half. Turner left with a bruised left leg and Horvath entered in his first sport for membership or nation since May 4.
Turner’s standing for the subsequent match isn’t recognized. Weah will not gown due to the pink card.
The Americans benefitted from a video overview within the 63rd minute after Cameron Carter-Vickers, one other substitute, was whistled for taking down Fajardo within the space. The name was reversed when a video overview confirmed Fajardo already had crossed the ball when Carter-Vickers made contact.
Panama held possession for a staggering 73.6 per cent of the match and outshot the U.S. 13-6, leaving the large crowd with little to do besides specific its displeasure on the officiating.
Uruguay 5, Bolivia 0
Darwin Nunez scored in his seventh straight worldwide match, and Uruguay routed Bolivia on Thursday night time to transfer to verge of a quarterfinal berth within the Copa America.
Facundo Pellistri put the Uruguayans forward within the eighth minute and Nunez doubled the lead within the twenty first along with his tenth objective in his final seven video games for Uruguay and thirteenth in 25 matches total.
Maximiliano Araujo scored his second objective of the event within the 77th, and Federico Valverde (81st) and Rodrigo Bentancur (89th) added targets as Uruguay romped by means of a ragged Bolivian defence.
Uruguay, searching for its file sixteenth Copa America title, is 2-0 for six factors with a plus-seven objective distinction and would advance with at the very least a draw on Monday in opposition to the U.S. at Kansas City, Missouri, or maybe even a loss. The U.S. has three factors and plus-one objective distinction and Panama three factors and minus-one distinction.
Bolivia has misplaced 14 consecutive Copa America matches relationship to 2015 and has one win in its final 32. With no factors and a minus-seven objective distinction, it has nearly no probability of advancing going into Monday’s match in opposition to Panama at Orlando, Florida. Bolivia is probably going to be eradicated within the group stage for fourth straight time.
MetLife Stadium’s higher deck was almost empty and the location of the 2026 World Cup last appeared to be half full. Two years early, Lionel Messi and Argentina drew a sellout crowd of 81,106 for a 1-0 win over Chile.
Bolivia made six adjustments from its opening 2-0 loss to the U.S. and Uruguay rapidly went forward.
Nicolas de la Cruz performed an extended free kick down a flank and Ronald Araujo outjumped Luis Haquin to centre a header. Mathias Olivera could not attain it and the ball bounced earlier than Pellistri nodded it in for his second worldwide objective.
Nunez, who took seven photographs within the first half, scored off an ideal weighed cross from Maximiliano Araujo on a fast counterattack. Maximiliano Araujo acquired his objective after Bolivia turned over the ball in midfield, fed by de la Cruz.