The US men's national team's Concacaf Nations League title defense fell short in stunning fashion thanks to a dramatic late concession against Panama in Thursday's 1-0 semifinal defeat at SoFi Stadium.
The match was locked in a scoreless deadlock until second-half stoppage time, when Panama's Cecilio Waterman beat USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner with a wicked strike to the far post to secure the upset.
The result sends Los Canaleros onto the tournament final, where they'll face Mexico on Sunday. Meanwhile, the US will meet Canada on Sunday for the third-place match.
USMNT forward Josh Sargent had two notable looks in the first half, getting denied once by the woodwork, and then later by an offside call on Tim Weah in the build-up that negated his well-taken strike from inside the box.
Tyler Adams had one last-gasp chance for the US as the final seconds ticked away, but put his volley attempt just above the crossbar.
Goals
- 90+4' - PAN - Cecilio Waterman | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: It's a shocking result for the Yanks, who sought a fourth-straight Nations League crown that would have represented a positive milestone early into the Mauricio Pochettino era. Instead of playing for his first trophy at the helm of the USMNT, Pochettino now has a lot of work to do to get the program on the right track ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: It was a 50-50 game until Waterman struck for this dramatic late winner.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Waterman gets the nod here for that decisive strike, which was equally as euphoric for Panama as it was gut-wrenching for the US.
Next Up
- USA: Sunday, March 23 vs. Canada (6 pm ET) | Concacaf Nations League Third Place Match
- PAN: Sunday, March 23 vs. Mexico (9:30 pm ET) | Concacaf Nations League FInal
