ATLANTA, GA — The United States have been defeated by Panama after they played the majority of the game with 10 men following Timothy Weah's first-half red card.
Goals from Cesar Blackman and Jose Fajardo saw Panama to a historic victory as they too were reduced to 10 men in the dying moments of the match.
The first half was a 45 minutes that will possibly go down as the greatest in Copa America history. The US thought they'd taken the lead after five minutes when Weston McKennie fired home a rebound but Timothy Ream was offside from the free-kick taken by Christian Pulisic and after a lengthy VAR check, the goal was ruled out.
USA vs. Panama final score
| FT | Goal scorers | |
| USA | 1 | Balogun 23' |
| Panama | 2 | Blackman 26', Fajardo 83' |
Matters went from bad to worse for Berhalter's men as Weah was initially shown a yellow card for shoving Roderick Miller to the ground. The VAR asked referee Ivan Barton to take a look at the monitor and with just one replay needed, he upgraded the decision to a red card. Weah will now miss USA's crucial clash with Uruguay through suspension.
Folarin Balogun then took matters into his own hands with a sensational strike which hit the post and rebounded past Yerson Mosquera. The AS Monaco striker bagged his second goal in as many appearances at the tournament and the US led 1-0.
Panama, with the extra man, began to dominate possession and created multiple chances. Blackman made one of those opportunities count as he poked the ball goalwards and past Matthew Turner after a slight deflection put the ball out of reach.
The two teams headed into the break level and Panama came out on the front foot. They were awarded a penalty on the hour mark as Cameron Carter-Vickers brought down Fajardo in the box. The referee was once again asked to head to the monitor and check the foul and after a replay, he reversed his decision.
It took until the 70th minute for the US to hit their first shot of the second half and it was Balogun who tried his luck from a tight angle. The striker attempted to curl it back into the far corner but it went narrowly wide.
Panama then finally took the lead with under ten minutes to play as Fajardo swept a strike past substitute goalkeeper Ethan Horvath.
Adalberto Carrasquilla foolishly hacked down Pulisic and saw himself receive a red card. The final minutes were played with both teams having just 10 players on the field.
For the USA, it's a devastating result as they face Uruguay in the final match of the group stages. Without any points in that game, they'll likely be eliminated with Panama still to play Bolivia.
| USA | Stat | Panama |
| 6 | Shots | 13 |
| 3 | Shots on target | 4 |
| 1.11 | Expected goals (if applicable) | 0.76 |
| 26 | Possession | 74 |
| 116 | Passes | 467 |
| 0 | Corners | 3 |
| 4 | Fouls | 19 |
| 2 | Yellow cards | 3 |
| 1 | Red cards | 1 |
| 3 | Offsides | 2 |
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Referee: Ivan Barton (SLV)
MORE: 2024 Copa America Golden Boot Standings | Betting odds, predictions for USA vs. Panama
Starting lineups:
USA (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Turner (GK) — 22. Scally, 3. Richards, 13. Ream, 5. A. Robinson — 7. Reyna, 4. Adams, 8. McKennie — 21. Weah, 20. Balogun, 10. Pulisic.
Panama (5-4-1, right to left): 22. Mosquera (GK) — 23. Murillo, 24. Farina, 3. Cordoba, 25. Miller, 15. Davis — 2. Blackman, 6. Martinez, 8. Carrasquilla, 10. Barcenas — 9. Guerrero.
MORE: Why Christian Pulisic is the best player in USMNT history
USA vs. Panama live updates, highlights from Copa America 2024
FT: IT'S OVER! Panama hangs on to an incredible victory.
90+4 mins: Richards' free header is over the bar and that might be that.
90+3 mins: Gondola is now booked! Panama are flying into tackles in these dying moments.
90+2 mins: Farina now receives a yellow card for cynically tackling Robinson on the counter.
90 mins: There has only been four minutes of added time presented by the fourth official!
89 mins: Pulisic is a lucky boy as he shoved Carrasquilla following that incident. But for now, this game will be played with both teams having 10 men on the field.
88 mins: RED CARD! Carrasquilla is sent off for hammering down Pulisic. There will be no doubts over that one, that's a horrendous tackle.
86 mins: Josh Sargent is thrown on by Berhalter as he looks to steal a point.
84 mins: GOALLLL! PANAMA TAKES THE LEAD! The US are distraught as Fajardo scoops home through the hands of Horvath, who should have done better.
81 mins: HUGE CHANCE FOR USA! McKennie breaks fast down the right and dribbles into the box before clipping a ball to the far post where Pepi's header is right at Mosquera who makes an easy save.
80 mins: Scally can't quite get on the end of Pulisic's through ball. Panama keep trying to long and appear to be running out of ways to break down the US' resilience.
76 mins: Pulisic's cross is weak and is cleared well by Panama.
70 mins: 20 minutes still to play can the US hang on here, or even find a winner?
69 mins: Balogun tries to pick out the bottom corner from a tight angle but it's narrowly wide of the post.
66 mins: NO PENALTY! After going over to the VAR monitor, Ivan Barton goes back on his decision and there will be no penalty for Panama.
63 mins: PENALTY TO PANAMA! Carter-Vickers brings down Fajardo but I have to say the contact looks minimal...VAR will take a look.
57 mins: Panama work it well down the left but the cross is too high and goes out for a goalkick.
55 mins: How many games will Weah miss because of the red card?
51 mins: Farina hits a rocket at Horvath who makes a good save.
46 mins: We are back out on the field for the second half. The US make changes as Ethan Horvath replaces Matt Turner who suffered an injury in the first half. Cameron Carter-Vickers comes on for Gio Reyna and Johnny replaces Tyler Adams as Berhalter looks to protect the point.
HT: Wow. What a half of football. We've had just about everything as the US scored, had a goal ruled out by VAR, Timothy Weah received a red card and Panama equalized.
45+3 mins: Balogun hits the bar! But the linesman had his flag up anyway for offside.
41 mins: Pulisic is brought down in the box but the referee waves play on.
38 mins: Balogun and Farina go head to head and they both end up on the floor.
33 mins: The physical side to this game is incredible as both sets of players are leaving it all on the field right now. The latest challenge is from Robinson.
27 mins: GOALLLLLL! BLACKMAN EQUALISES! He pokes the ball through the legs of Richards and has his side level. What a game this is.
BALOGUN PUTS USA ON TOP 😱
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 27, 2024
10-PLAYER @USMNT TAKES THE LEAD pic.twitter.com/lwsnc5Vj7j
23 mins: GOALLLLL! BALOGUN WITH A ROCKET! He picks out the far corner with a sensational strike from the striker who has scored in both of his Copa appearances. This goal stands and the US lead 1-0.
18 mins: RED CARD! After review, Weah's yellow card has been upgraded to a red card for violent conduct. The United States are down to ten men and will now miss the game vs. Uruguay.
16 mins: Weah is given a yellow card, the first of the match.
12 mins: Turner gets wiped out and is down on the ground after Blackman takes him out when coming to grab a cross.
8 mins: NO GOAL! A lengthy VAR check sees the goal ruled out as Tim Ream was offside in the build-up.
5 mins: GOALLLLL! The USA takes the lead early again! This time it's Pulisic's cross from a free-kick which is headed off the post by Richards and McKennie smashes home. The perfect start.
2 mins: It's a long ball over the top before Panama whips in a cross into the box. Barcenas attempts an audacious overhead kick and Turner can watch it over the bar.
1 min: We're underway in Atlanta!
5 mins to kickoff: Both national anthems are complete and we are ready for kickoff.
15 mins to kickoff: The players have completed their warmups and the national anthems are next.
30 mins to kickoff: The USA has a record of 17 wins, 2 losses, and 7 draws against Panama, 12 of which have taken place at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. A reminder that the US will be desperate for three points tonight as they face strong competitors Uruguay in the final group game.
45 mins to kickoff: Team news is in! Here are your starting lineups for tonight's game.
USA (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Turner (GK) — 22. Scally, 3. Richards, 13. Ream, 5. A. Robinson — 7. Reyna, 4. Adams, 8. McKennie — 21. Weah, 20. Balogun, 10. Pulisic.
Panama (5-4-1, right to left): 22. Mosquera (GK) — 23. Murillo, 24. Farina, 3. Cordoba, 25. Miller, 15. Davis — 2. Blackman, 6. Martinez, 8. Carrasquilla, 10. Barcenas — 9. Guerrero.
1 hour to kickoff: Panama are down a player for the Copa America, sporting only 25 individuals on their roster instead of the allowable 26, because of a very fluky roster quirk. Panama captain Anibal Godoy picked up a thigh injury in the warmup friendly against Paraguay and had to be removed from the roster, with Xelaju defender Harold Cummings added as an injury replacement prior to the start of the competition.
Except, then Cummings decided to turn down the call-up after Panama had already registered him as part of their roster. Because he was not injured, he could not then be replaced himself, and thus Panama were left a man down for the competition. An unfortunate situation all-around.
1 hour 30 mins to kickoff: While the group finale against Uruguay may feel like the most important match for the USMNT in this Copa America group stage, it's not — tonight's game is undoubtedly the one they must win, because they can confirm a knockout place with a win.
If they fail to secure three points tonight, leaving their fate to the match against a Copa America title contender is a really dicey pathway. Landon Donovan agrees, telling SportsCenter on ESPN that "we need to win."
"You do not want to go into your third match against a very good Uruguay team needing to win that game."
"We need to win." 😤
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 27, 2024
Landon Donovan tells @DavidLloydESPN how important tonight's Copa América match vs. Panama is for the USMNT ⚽ pic.twitter.com/eO1J5Upt6Z
2 hours before kickoff: Welcome to live coverage of USA vs. Panama from The Sporting News, on-site at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Win the match, and the knockout phase beckons for the United States.
As they say in soccer, lets do that soccer.#USMNT vs. Panama tonight, 6pm ET from Atlanta @MBStadium.
— Kyle Bonn (@the_bonnfire) June 27, 2024
A win almost ensures a knockout stage spot for the US, anything else and it gets real dicey vs. Uruguay in KC. pic.twitter.com/mjahXw3G4z
Copa America 2024 Group C standings
| Pos | Team | GP | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | Uruguay | 1 | 3 | 1-0-0 | +2 |
| 2. | USA | 2 | 3 | 1-0-1 | +1 |
| 3. | Panama | 2 | 3 | 1-0-1 | -1 |
| 4. | Bolivia | 1 | 0 | 0-0-1 | -2 |
USA vs. Panama lineups, team news, starting 11
Given how well the system worked against Bolivia at the weekend, Gregg Berhalter remains unchanged.
Joe Scally, at 21, was the youngest player to feature, while Tim Ream, at 36 years and 261 days, became the oldest American to play in this tournament. Tyler Adams made his first start since the victory over Mexico in the March Nations League final. Giovanni Reyna, meanwhile, has now started five consecutive matches for the USMNT.
Folarin Balogun bagged his fourth goal for the national team, and Christian Pulisic became the third American to score in five different competitions, joining only Eric Wynalda and Clint Dempsey. They both start.
Josh Sargent missed both pre-tournament friendlies with a foot injury but recovered in time to make the bench at the Copa America opener and is on the bench again tonight. A yellow card to Weston McKennie in the opener vs. Bolivia leaves him as the only player in danger of being suspended for the finale against Uruguay with a booking tonight.
USA starting XI: (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Turner (GK) — 22. Scally, 3. Richards, 13. Ream, 5. A. Robinson — 7. Reyna, 4. Adams, 8. McKennie — 21. Weah, 20. Balogun, 10. Pulisic.
Three new players were introduced to Panama's starting 11 versus Uruguay as Edgardo Farina, Jose Luis Rodriguez, and Adalberto Carrasquilla all got a place in the lineup. Rodriguez was injured late in the game and does not appear in this match, meaning Panama are two players short after an injury to captain Anibal Godoy in their warmup friendly against Paraguay.
Carrasquilla plays for the Houston Dynamo and is one of three players on this roster currently with an American club, alongside Omar Valencia (New York Red Bulls II) and Carlos Harvey (Minnesota United).
Michael Murillo scored the only goal in their defeat to Uruguay, marking his eighth international goal for the Marseille defender.
Panama starting XI (5-4-1, right to left): 22. Mosquera (GK) — 23. Murillo, 24. Farina, 3. Cordoba, 25. Miller, 15. Davis — 2. Blackman, 6. Martinez, 8. Carrasquilla, 10. Barcenas — 9. Guerrero.
USA vs. Panama live stream, TV channel
- TV channel (US): Fox, Univision, TUDN
- Streaming (US): Fubo, Fox Sports app/website, Univision Now, TUDN app/website, ViX
- TV channel (Canada): TSN 1, TSN 3, TSN 4, TSN 5
- Streaming (Canada): TSN+, RDS app (French)
USA: USA vs. Panama from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will be televised in the United States on Fox with a Spanish-language broadcast via Univision and TUDN. These channels are available to stream on Fubo with the latter offering a FREE seven-day trial. ViX is also providing Spanish language coverage.
Canada: This match will be shown on TSN and its respective live streaming options, while RDS provides French language coverage.
If this Copa America match is not available to watch live in your location, or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.
WATCH FROM ANYWHERE: Sign up for NordVPN (30-day moneyback guarantee)
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >
