Copa America 2024: United States crash out as Uruguay, Panama advance

Uruguay gamers have fun the staff’s victory and development to the quarterfinals after the Copa America 2024 match in opposition to United States at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas Metropolis, on July 1, 2024.
| Photograph Credit score: Getty Pictures by way of AFP

The US crashed out of the Copa America on July 1 after a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay, as Panama sealed their place within the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Bolivia.

Workforce USA, who suffered an upset 2-1 defeat to Panama final Thursday, went into Monday’s remaining Group C sport at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas Metropolis needing to match or higher Panama’s outcome in opposition to Bolivia to advance.

However US coach Gregg Berhalter’s facet by no means regarded like doing sufficient to significantly threaten a well-drilled Uruguay outfit who advance to the final eight as group winners.

“It’s troublesome to say proper now, clearly the feelings are working excessive,” upset US captain Christian Pulisic mentioned.

“We had begin and introduced loads of vitality, however simply didn’t have sufficient high quality. We simply couldn’t discover a resolution.”

Hopes of an excellent escape for the event hosts light inside the primary half-hour, as information filtered via that Panama had taken a 1-0 lead in opposition to Bolivia in Orlando.

These hopes had been revived early within the second half after Bolivia equalised to make it 1-1, leaving the US on the right track for qualification supplied they continued to carry Uruguay.

But the US optimism was punctured simply moments later when Uruguay took the lead in controversial circumstances via Mathias Olivera on 66 minutes.

Ronald Araujo’s highly effective header from Nicolas de la Cruz’s free-kick was parried away by US goalkeeper Matt Turner, however solely into the trail of Olivera, who tucked away the rebound.

Replays appeared to point out that Olivera was offside when Araujo first made contact with the ball, however regardless of a prolonged VAR evaluation, Peruvian referee Kevin Ortega dominated that the aim ought to stand.

The arithmetic of qualification regarded much more bleak for the US after information that Panama had scored once more via Eduardo Guerrero to regain the lead at 2-1, and the ultimate nail within the coffin got here when Cesar Yanis added a 3rd for Panama in stoppage time.

The USA’s first-round exit raises contemporary questions on the way forward for US coach Berhalter, who stays deeply unpopular amongst swathes of American followers.

Berhalter was solely reappointed to the US job in June final yr following a hiatus after main the staff to the 2022 World Cup.

But the character of Monday’s early exit is for certain to reignite debate about whether or not he’s the most effective man to steer the US into the 2026 World Cup on residence soil.

Failure to defeat Uruguay, 14th within the newest FIFA rankings, extends Berhalter’s poor file in opposition to high 20 groups.

Berhalter has simply 5 wins in 20 matches in opposition to top-20 groups throughout his reign, and 4 of these victories got here in opposition to regional rivals Mexico — who had been additionally been eradicated from the Copa within the first spherical.

That dismal sequence continued after a toothless attacking efficiency from Berhalter’s facet in opposition to Uruguay, the place they registered solely three photographs on aim in a misfiring offensive show.

US defender Antonee Robinson described the officiating as “beginner hour” however confused accountability for the defeat lay with the American gamers. “Simply not sufficient high quality within the remaining third,” Robinson mentioned.

“On the finish of the day we weren’t ok to get the outcome immediately. That is on us.”