“It’s difficult to say right now, obviously the emotions are running high,” US captain Christian Pulisic said after his team’s humiliating 1-0 loss to Uruguay on Monday, while Panama secured their spot in the quarterfinals with a 3-1 victory over Bolivia. Team USA, who lost 2-1 to Panama on Thursday, needed to match or surpass Panama’s result against Bolivia to advance. However, US coach Gregg Berhalter’s team never looked like doing enough to seriously threaten a well-drilled Uruguay outfit that advanced to the last eight as group winners.
After hearing that Panama had taken a 1-0 lead against Bolivia in Orlando, hopes of a thrilling comeback for the tournament hosts dimmed within the first half. However, early in the second half, Bolivia equalized to make it 1-1, meaning the US would qualify if they could hold Uruguay. “We had a good start and brought a lot of energy, but just didn’t have enough quality. We just couldn’t find a solution.”
However, the US’s hope was dashed moments later when Mathias Olivera of Uruguay gave his team the lead under dubious circumstances on minute 66.
US goalkeeper Matt Turner parried Ronald Araujo’s strong header from Nicolas de la Cruz’s free kick, but only into Olivera’s path, who tucked home the rebound.
Although a thorough VAR analysis revealed that Olivera was offside when Araujo initially made touch with the ball, Peruvian referee Kevin Ortega declared that the goal should stand.
After hearing that Panama had scored again through Eduardo Guerrero to take a 2-1 lead, the math of qualification appeared even more dire for the US. Cesar Yanis’ third goal for Panama in stoppage time put the icing on the cake.
With the USA eliminated in the first round, there are now more doubts over US coach Berhalter’s future, as he is still very unpopular with large segments of the American fan base.
After taking the squad to the 2022 World Cup, Berhalter took a break until being reappointed to the US position in June of last year.
However, the circumstances surrounding Monday’s early departure will undoubtedly rekindle the controversy about his suitability to captain the US into the 2026 World Cup on American territory.
Uruguay, ranked 14th in the most recent FIFA rankings, is another team that Berhalter has a dismal record against in the top 20.
In his 20 games against top-20 teams, Berhalter has only managed five victories; four of those were against Mexico, a regional foe that was also ousted in the first round of the Copa.
That miserable run of play followed Berhalter’s team’s lackluster attacking exhibition against Uruguay, in which they managed just three shots on goal in an ineffective offensive effort.
Although US defender Antonee Robinson called the officiating “amateur hour,” he emphasized that the players in the country were ultimately to blame for the loss. Robinson remarked, “Just not enough quality in the final third.”
