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A reckless moment from Timothy Weah left the USA’s Copa America hopes in jeopardy on Thursday as the hosts suffered a surprising 2-1 defeat to Panama. Juventus winger Weah was sent off in the 18th minute following an off-the-ball altercation with Panama’s Roderick Miller during a tense Group C clash at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Despite Folarin Balogun putting the US ahead four minutes after Weah’s dismissal, Panama capitalised on their numerical advantage, with goals from Cesar Blackman and Jose Fajardo securing their victory.
This defeat means the United States must either win or draw against group leaders Uruguay in their final group match next Monday to have any chance of progressing to the knockout stages.
Uruguay, meanwhile, virtually ensured their place in the last eight with a dominant 5-0 victory over Bolivia in East Rutherford on Thursday. Facundo Pellistri, Darwin Nunez, Maximiliano Araujo, Federico Valverde, and Rodrigo Bentancur all found the net for the Uruguayans.
US coach Gregg Berhalter stated after the match that Weah’s red card was the key moment, labelling it “silly.”
“The match-changing event is obviously the red card and it puts us in a tough spot but we expected that from them,” Berhalter said.
“I can’t fault the effort of the group, especially after going down a man. The guys dug in and we were close to coming out with a point. But it’s a shame, because there was more in this game, and a silly decision by Timmy leaves us shorthanded.”
Weah expressed his regret on social media for his red card. “A moment of frustration led to an irreversible consequence, and for that, I am deeply sorry to my teammates, coaches, family and our fans,” he wrote on Instagram.
The US almost regained the lead in the 81st minute when Weston McKennie’s impressive run and cross found substitute Ricardo Pepi at the far post, but Pepi’s weak header was easily saved by Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera, leaving the score at 1-1.
That missed opportunity proved costly, as Fajardo scored the decisive goal seven minutes from time, converting Abdiel Ayarza’s low cross to put Panama 2-1 ahead.
The match ended contentiously, with Adalberto Carrasquilla receiving a red card for a cynical foul on US captain Christian Pulisic in the final minutes as Panama held on for the win.
