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Key events
Monday, July 1. It will be one of the greatest intellectual tests that men in the United States have ever faced. Unless Bolivia can suddenly improve dramatically and get a result against Uruguay or Panama, the US will need to beat Uruguay to advance. Even with a win, continuation would not be guaranteed.
Failure to reach the quarter-finals in this tournament will be seen as a complete disaster. It’s hard to imagine Greg Berhalter keeping his job after this.
But crisis equals opportunity, right? And if this team showed anything tonight, it was a fighting spirit peppered with occasional moments of brilliance.
I’ll see you then.
give Panama a ton of credit. They took full advantage of the man advantage, keeping the ball in the US half for most of the game. This is an experienced team that has played all over the world and they are especially adept at playing in the rough world of Concacaf.
(Yes, it’s a CONMEBOL tournament, but there are two CONCACAF teams.)
Full time: Panama 2-1 USA
The USA are on the verge of an early exit from the Copa America on home soil.
Timothy Weah’s early red card for a tackle near the ball was the decisive moment. But the US made it tough despite the long disadvantage, getting a golazo from Folarin Balogun and some stellar defense for a significant amount of time.
But a miss after Balogun’s goal allowed Panama to equalize. And now the USA will likely have to beat Uruguay to advance.
Fox’s Alexi Lalas says the next game could be for Greg Berhalter’s job.
90 minutes +3: Pulisic’s delivery is high. Richards does a good job of getting his head at all, and it floats high. Carter-Vickers was actually going back to Richards, which didn’t help.
Sargent was fouled to give the USA a chance on the counter on Panama’s free kick.
Which doesn’t come because they don’t add extra overtime.
90 minutes +2: Horvath released a wide open Robinson who crossed. McKenney is then hacked and it’s a yellow for Gondola.
Free kick in the box and Horvath goes into the box.
90 minutes +1: Horvath distributions just haven’t contacted anyone. Panama races back the other way and goes into the corner. Pepi returns to win it – and now Robinson is hacked. Yellow to Farina. Free kick on the halfway line.
90 minutes: no Panama plays high in those free kicks and Pulisic just hasn’t got the weight of the ball right.
Just four minutes of added time? This is a surprise.
89 minutes: Karakilya does not leave the field. This could buy extra time off the field in this event.
Pulisic appears to have escaped without a booking.
NOW we have a free kick.
Red card for Adalberto Caraccia
The USA takes the free kick quickly and Karakilja immediately kicks Pulisic in the ankles. Absolutely no attempts to play the ball. The easiest red card decision of Barton’s life.
But then Pulisic stands up and attacks Karaskilja. They could, they could he do you see a map
Chris Richards gets a yellow card.
10 on 10 for the last two minutes plus added time.
87 minutes: Decent effort from Pulisic this time and even better work from USA in containing the counterattack.
Scully fouls out, and now… oh my!
86 minutes: Tim Ream will be the player to leave for Sargent. This is a clear substitution of attack for defense.
Free kick on the halfway line for Pulisic, close to the benches.
85 minutes: This changes the US sub-plan. It won’t be Musa. It will be Josh Sargent, the top goalscorer in the national team and in England.
Gooooool! USA 1-2 Panama (Fajardo 83)
They just couldn’t last forever.
A scramble in the US box goes on forever, and reserve Ayarza plays a short cross down the ground to Fajardo, who finishes with a power shot from close range.
81 minutes: A CHANCE for USA. Robinson steals the ball and works down the left. He crosses diagonally to McKenney who is open. He brings the ball back into the center but places it too high for Pepi to control and the header is weak and straight at the keeper.
Robinson gives Balogan a chance for Man of the Match.
80 minutes: Scully makes a brilliant break down the right, but Pulisic’s ball goes wide just too forward.
I have to say here – despite all of Panama’s possession, the USA looked more likely to score in this half.
79 minutes: Panama plays forward in the zone. No one but Horvath and some American defenders watching it bounce slightly into the arms of their goalkeeper.
77 minutes: Yunus Musa is being prepared as the last American submarine.
Pepi goes back to win the ball neatly and after some back and forth, the USA I have a score.
76 minutes: Pulisic’s free kick misses the mixer.
Panama quickly counter and Horvath has to come out and play it… and it doesn’t get very far. Scully barely clears the ball out of danger.
75 minutes: Fajardo resumes his battle with Carter-Vickers, trying but failing to get on the end of a center ball. Horvath cleans up.
Pulisic is tripped up near midfield. Martinez was late with this and it would be his last act. Abdiel Ayarza is coming.
73 minutes: Quite an accumulation of Panama with a nice back kick into the box from Barcenas to the defending Murillo. However, the shot is not strong and is straight at Horvath.
The USA go the other way and Robinson has a chance to cross, but it’s too far.
72 minutes: This will be Balogun’s last act. He received a standing ovation when he left, replaced by Ricardo Pepi, who came close to scoring on several occasions against Bolivia.
70 minutes: Pulisic goes back to win the ball, then returns it and goes up the left. He plays Balogun who throws with perfect timing but has a sharp angle. Pulisic raised his hand for a reverse pass, but Balogun preferred to shoot and the shot went wide. The passage was not easy either.
But it was promising.
69 minutes: Balogun receives a light blow to the face. He’ll need some time to recover.
The USA, but turn it over again. The defense was heroic. But they have to get to the other end of the field at some point, if only to catch their breath while the ball travels to the other end.
67 minutes: Joe Pearson writes to laugh about the microphone problems. Hey, I’ve seen this happen on Saturday Night Live with Dave Grohl of all people.
Panama resume kicking the ball in the attacking half.
I actually wrote something about it.
66 minutes: Barton does cancel his call. Again, we don’t hear his statement on the matter. His microphone may not work at all.
A – NOW his microphone is working as he explains his call to Carter-Vickers.
As a referee myself, I would like to have VAR. It works perfectly here.
Yes, VAR called Barton. This will reverse.
Penalty for Panama
Just as Stu Holden praises the US’s ability to cut crosses, Panama scores a dangerous ball and Carter-Vickers lunges at Fajardo.
But on the replay… hmmmm… Carter-Vickers got the ball and Fajardo beat him.
60 minutes: Another sub for Panama – Freddy Gondola replaces scorer Blackman.
McKenney wins a free kick deep in the US half. So far, however, no American player has been able to complete Horvath’s long deliveries.
They will really look into whether Carter-Vickers fouled Fajardo, but it looked like Fajardo pushed into the Celtic defender and he stood up well. VAR check.
57 minutes: Horvath has to play with his feet under pressure, but that doesn’t seem to bother him.
Long shot now from Horvath, but Panama immediately win it back and race down to the right.
Carter-Vickers ended up defending in his own area and…oh dear, that looked frighteningly close to a penalty.
55 minutes: Say that about the U.S. defense and midfield for now — the crosses that were so dangerous for Panama in the first half did not materialize in this half.
Antonee Robinson is still pushing forward and he wins a throw deep into the attacking third that McKennie does NOT take.
54 minutes: Panama renews Operation Pass the Ball 300 Times.
52 minutes: McKenney becomes the throw-in specialist here, making long throws towards the center of the box. This one doesn’t miss his teammates much. That will give Panama something to think about.
As referees, we usually say that goals are among the least important decisions we make. That may not be the case here.
51 min: CHANCE for Panama, as Fariña steps forward from the backline and fires a shot from 25 yards – straight at Horvath, but the movement of the ball makes it difficult to stop. Horvath knocks it down and puts it away. First test passed.
49 minutes: Panama had almost all the possession so far. The US was unable to break away from its half.
47 minutes: Panama’s corner goes wide, giving Horvath the chance to take his first touch with a goal kick.
Also, Jose Fajardo replaces Eduardo Guerrero for Panama. Bit surprising they didn’t save this sub for a bit later when the US might start to tire?
Three substitutes at half-time, including Matt Turner
Goalkeeper Matt Turner, concussed in a first-half collision, will not continue. Ethan Horvath is in.
Tyler Adams predictably dropped out. Johnny Cardoso is in.
Defender Cameron Carter-Vickers comes on, replacing Gio Reina.
Fox’s Jenny Taft says they’re going 5-3-1.
Stats alert
Panama has 224 passes completed.
The USA 83 have graduated.
Let’s give Panamanian goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera some credit here. If he hadn’t made the initial save on Chris Richards’ shot, it’s unlikely the referees would have penalized Tim Ream for being offside. He didn’t get involved in the play until he got to the rebound.
How differently would this have played out with an early 1-0 lead? Would Weah have been less disappointed and not have received the red card?
Halftime: USA 1-1 Panama
They are still tied, but things look bleak for the US side. They reduce to 10 people and Panama manage the ball wisely and make them chase. This will affect over time. The U.S. will need to score somehow – and Balogun just might do it again – to come away with the win.
45 min +3: CHANCE for USA, with Scully sending Balogun. His shot from the near post bounces off the crossbar. It’s canceled for an ambush anyway.
45 minutes +2: From the free kick the ball found its way to Adams, whose shaky pass he sent over Panama go the other way. Enough US players backtrack to nullify the threat.
45 minutes +1: Balogun commits another foul and it will be a free kick from around 30 yards.
45 minutes: Guerrero collides with Scully in midfield and is booked.
Five minutes stoppage.
44 minutes: More danger than Panama. Long ball to Davies on the left and he manages to head the ball back into the face of goal where he finds no teammates.
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