Panama Clinches Late Victory Over Shorthanded USA 2-1 at Copa America

Panama secured a crucial 2-1 win against a depleted United States team at the Copa America on Thursday night, leaving the Americans at risk of elimination unless they can defeat Uruguay in their final Group C match.

The U.S. faced adversity early, playing with ten men for nearly the entire game due to Tim Weah's 18th-minute red card. Despite this setback, Folarin Balogun managed to put the U.S. ahead in the 22nd minute, only for César Blackman to equalize just four minutes later.

Ethan Horvath, substituting for the injured Matt Turner at halftime, couldn't prevent Jose Fajardo's decisive goal in the 83rd minute, conceding from close range as Panama secured only their third win in 27 meetings against the U.S.

Following their opening victory against Bolivia, the U.S. now faces a must-win scenario against Uruguay to advance to the quarterfinals, with the match scheduled for Kansas City, Missouri.

Panama, previously defeated 3-1 by Uruguay, will conclude their group stage against Bolivia, who entered their match against Uruguay on Thursday night with 13 consecutive Copa America losses.

The loss to Panama raises questions about the future of U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter, particularly if the team fails to progress beyond this critical tournament ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Despite Weston McKennie appearing to score early in the match, only to have it disallowed for offside, and Panama also finishing with ten men after Adalberto Carrasquilla received a red card late in the game, the U.S. couldn't find the equalizer despite a spirited late effort, including goalkeeper Horvath joining the attack.

Turner's departure due to injury saw Horvath making his first appearance for club or country since May 4, while Weah's dismissal by Salvadoran referee Iván Barton for striking Roderick Miller further complicated matters for the home side.

The match was played in front of a partisan crowd of 59,145 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, who voiced their displeasure with several officiating decisions that went against the U.S., including a disallowed goal and a reversed penalty call following a video review in the second half.

Overall, Panama's resilient performance and the U.S.'s challenges underscored the competitive nature of the Copa America, with both teams facing critical tests as they vie for progression in the tournament.