USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino will respond Thursday when he lost to Panama 1-0 at Sophie Stadium in Inglewood, California. (Photo: Alexis Quiroz/Jam Media/Getty Images)
Inglewood, California – The US men’s national team failed the first competitive test during their Mauricio Pockettino era.
The Americans played 90 minutes of scoreless, ti-ill, imaginative and hard-working. They were booed off the field at halftime. They were not inspired, even at the World Cup, home seven Saturday, on the horizon. They seemed doomed to the extra time against a team they were very much preferred to beat.
But they couldn’t. And then, in the 94th minute, something seemed unthinkable happened.
Cecilio Waterman defeated goalkeeper Matt Turner.
(You can win $25k in the Women’s Bracket Mayhem Contest. Enter it now!)
Panama won and the rest of the Golden Generation of Christian Purisic, Weston McKenney and the USMNT jumped with joy in the middle as they lost sight of the rest of the Golden Generation. Panama will face Mexico. Mexico beat Canada 2-0 in the final on Sunday in Thursday’s second half game.
They played the same way they had towards the tail end of Greg Belharter’s era. Berhalter was fired after Copa America after the US lost 2-1 to Panama after playing most of the group stage matches with 10 men.
Pockettino replaced Barhalter last fall. His mission was to revive the Plateau program. His early results were largely positive.
However, in his first true elimination game, there are 11 men, which means that the US suffered from a familiar fate.
In a way, they regressed. The Americans had won all three previous editions of the Nations League. Under Belharter, in the semifinals and finals, they beat Mexico three times and beat Canada, Jamaica and Honduras once each.
However, Panama raised a variety of issues. Under the direction of Thomas Christiansen, Los Canaleros is now 4-1 against the US in a competitive game. They irritated USMNT again on Thursday, and got famous results.
And they gave Pockettino and players and fans a lot to bite at the start of this last calendar year before the Landmark World Cup.
“The way we approached the game and started the game wasn’t the right way,” Pockettino said.
“We played too slowly,” he added. “We didn’t show any offensiveness on the ball” – even without that. “It was really painful to watch the first half,” Pockettino said.
They abandoned their grip to local advantage as McKenny hadn’t played with either “grit, lust, nasty” that Pockettino said was trying to plant. They defeated one of the two competitions they have between now and June 2026. And they have led this important stage of World Cup preparation to a truly terrifying start.
USMNT vs Panama Live Tracker
Live coverage is overUpdated 28
Thu, March 20, 2025, 6:01pm PDT
America faces Mexico vs Canada loser in third place match on Sunday
Thu, March 20, 2025, 5:57pm PDT
Final: Panama 1-0 USA
The shocking ending as Panama scores to steal victory in the final minute of stop time.
Thu, March 20, 2025, 5:55pm PDT
Thu, March 20, 2025, 5:53pm PDT
’90 +4 Panama Waterman Finds Net
It’s 1-0 Panama and there are a few minutes left in the match
Thu, March 20, 2025, 5:48pm PDT
Where is Geo? (Or Diego Luna?)
This game is screaming for those who can play from nothing in tight spaces.
Gio Reyna and Diego Luna are two of the three US players who can do that. Still, Pockettino hasn’t looked at either of them.
Thu, March 20, 2025, 5:46pm PDT
We cannot take advantage of late opportunities
Thu, March 20, 2025, 5:42pm PDT
The slow game has become a stop start game
Several injuries halted in the last 10 minutes.
One opportunity in the US, created by Weston McKennie of Pat Agyemang, was saved comfortably.
Still 0-0, 85 minutes.
Thu, March 20, 2025, 5:37pm PDT
Thu, March 20, 2025, 5:35pm PDT
76′ USMNT’s Chris Richards’s injury to play
Thu, March 20, 2025, 5:30pm PDT
Nothing has changed so far.
It was still slow and crowded, 0-0.
I apologize to those who watch the hour and a half of my life.
Thu, March 20, 2025, 5:30pm PDT
Thu, March 20, 2025 5:25pm PDT
Still 0-0, the first USMNT is coming…
…But Gio Reyna is not one of them.
Josh Sargent and Tanner Tessman Patrick Aggieman and Jack McGlynn Pockettino Subbing.
Thu, March 20, 2025, 5:20pm PDT
Thu, March 20, 2025, 5:15pm PDT
USMNT’s main bright spots…
…Their Tyler Adams strengthens and defensive solidity.
Panama hasn’t paid attention to anything. (Of course, Panama is a problem if the US doesn’t pay attention to anything either. But even so, the US structure was good for both defensive and defensive transitions.)
Thu, March 20, 2025, 5:06 PM PDT
Poch adjusts halftime
One of the problems with the USMNT in the first half was that Panama was 5-4-1, narrow Panama forced the Americans to attack a wide area…and the US couldn’t play with the ball with the right foot.
So Pulisic and McKennie swapped. McKenney is currently in the left half space, while Purisic plays big right.
Early pressure from the US to get started
Thu, March 20, 2025, 4:52pm PDT
We booed at halftime…
…by the thousands of USMNT fans actually here.
It’s 0-0.
The roaring sounds from the year before the World Cup will begin! (That’s ironic, it’s clear.)
Thu, March 20, 2025, 4:38pm PDT
A 36-minute, rather tamed game…
In the semi-finals, there is a World Cup in the not too distant future between two teams that have had physical problems with Chippy in the past…this was very boring.
A rather sparse crowd – many people wearing greens, waiting for the second game – was of no use.
Thu, March 20, 2025 4:35pm PDT
Sgt. permitted goals
Thu, March 20, 2025, 4:26pm PDT
We place the ball behind the net but…
…Tim Weir was offside on the build-up for a few yards.
After a while, Sgt. scored, but it’s easy to allow that.
Thu, March 20, 2025, 4:23pm PDT
US recovery control
After a rocky temporary stretch between 5 minutes and 5 minutes, USMNT created two opportunities.
First, McKenney discovers Sargent has a cutback in the box, and the striker’s shot is eliminated from the post.
Weah then found McKennie on the cross, and McKennie’s backpost header was quite close, just below the goalkeeper’s throat.
