Winners and Losers From USMNT's Defeat to Panama in Concacaf Champions League

It was a frustrating night for the United States men’s national team, but everything still seemed under control … until it wasn’t. With the game ticking toward a 30-minute extra time, Panama forward Cecilio Waterman scored in stoppage time, hopping the advertising boards to celebrate with Thierry Henry, who was there for his television work.

Waterman, a journeyman forward who has never played for a club outside the Americas, had cited Henry as his idol during Concacaf Nations League media day. He told the France and Arsenal legend as much after scoring the goal that puts Panama in the CNL final for the first time - and sends the U.S. to the third-place game for the first time in a competition the U.S. had previously won all three iterations.

This is going to be a rough read, USMNT fans. Here now are the Winners and Losers from Thursday night's disappoinment in LA.

The only winner today is the Central Americans. Panama would’ve come into the match underdogs were they at full strength but were missing creative midfielder Edgar Yoel Barcenas and fullback Michael Amir Murillo to injuries and center back Fidel Escobar to a suspension.  

Yet Panama was able to hang tough, with a back line of Jose Cordoba, Copa América breakout Edgardo Farina, and Carlos Harvey. Do-it-all midfielder Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla, the best player at the 2023 Gold Cup, again flew all over the field and eventually set up the scoring chance that saw Panama go through.

Panama manager Thomas Christiansen has insisted his players move abroad to push themselves against better competition at the club level. While most are now playing outside the country, many are in South American clubs or, like Cordoba, in the second division. Yet, they showed little fear of the U.S., whose players generally play at higher-level clubs and face even stiffer competition for minutes in those teams.

It’s worth asking if Panama is turning into a bogey team for the U.S. Panama just knocked the Americans out of the Concacaf Nations League. They beat the U.S. in Copa América to doom that campaign last summer. In the meeting before that, Christiansen’s squad knocked the U.S. out of the 2023 Gold Cup, winning a penalty shootout to move to the final. Superstition or not, the U.S. will hope not to see the top team in Central America at this summer’s Gold Cup.

Josh Sargent got the start for the U.S. and managed to put the ball in the net with a clean finish - only for the move to be called back for an obvious offside in the build-up. Just before that first-half sequence, he wasn’t able to finish off a chance, watching as the ball bounced off a defender’s leg and onto the post. This is 

Patrick Agyemang came in and made a number of good runs, getting into dangerous positions and even finding the best scoring opportunity of the game. But he wasn’t able to finish, either, ending another disappointing night for U.S. players in front of goal.

We’ve actually said before that the big winners are the forwards who couldn’t come into camp, since their place in the squad looks safe. It’s another night that Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi can use in their rehab, working to get back to full fitness and likely winning starts for the U.S.

It’s one moment. Perhaps half a second. Yet, that is the life of a goalkeeper. Turner wasn’t ready for Waterman to unleash the shot that tucked into the net and gave Panama the victory when it looked like the game was headed to extra time.

The performance won’t do anything for Turner, already fighting against critics for being the U.S. No. 1 despite not being a regular starter at the club level. Was it the rust that kept him from being more decisive in diving to his left when Waterman started his shooting motion? It’s tough to say, but the one error from the U.S. goalkeeper ended up being a costly one. It certainly won’t help his stock going forward.

The U.S. fullbacks at the World Cup ideally would be Antonee Robinson and Sergiño Dest. But with one nursing a recently sustained injury and the other just returning from an injury, Pochettino had to make a tough decision. He utilized a move he already has toyed with: Putting Yunus Musah, typically a midfielder, in the right back spot, while Joe Scally manned the left back place he typically plays.

Scally struggled on the goal, but it was Musah who had the worse night. While he has the physicality and athleticism needed to play as an outside defender, he wasn’t able to get forward and give the U.S. attackers the wide option they needed, nor could he punish a Panama team playing without its usual left back by dribbling past a defender.

Musah has a place in the national team, and his versatility is a big plus. But he wasn’t put in a good situation Thursday night and didn’t deliver what the U.S. needed. Next time Musah is in the XI, fans will hope it’s as a midfielder.

This moment was going to come. Not just the new manager’s first official defeat, but a moment in which the luster started to come off.

Pochettino is a great manager who has taken talented teams to new heights. While U.S. fans would’ve loved a fourth consecutive Nations League trophy, Pochettino’s job is to get this team ready for the World Cup.

This, however, was not a good performance from the U.S. and not a good managerial performance from the Argentine boss. Perhaps he felt extra time was beckoning, but he made just three modifications: Putting Jack McGlynn and Agyemang in at the 68th minute and replacing center back Chris Richards with Mark McKenzie after the former took a knock in the 80th minute. In a game that would’ve benefited from another creative player - or two - neither Diego Luna nor Gio Reyna took off their mesh substitute pinnie. 

U.S. supporters were largely thrilled that Pochettino accepted the job, and that still will be the mode they operate in heading into the third-place game Sunday. Yet, after a friendly defeat in Mexico and this loss Thursday, it’s clear he’s human, doesn’t always press the right buttons and won’t be able to instantly make the U.S. a World Cup contender.

The U.S. has the huge advantage of almost every major Concacaf tournament taking place on home soil. Some of that is because of the legions of fans of Mexico and other diaspora communities who pack stadiums in hopes of seeing the teams that represent their native countries. But we are constantly being told soccer is growing in this country and the 2026 World Cup will be a huge boon for the U.S. team as well as its regional rivals.

Maybe so, but fans weren’t locked in on Thursday. It’s a difficult spot to be in: The first game of a doubleheader with a 4 p.m. local kickoff on a weekday. Organizers and TV rightsholders get some of the blame here as well. 

Still, when you think about countries that have won the World Cup, most could fill a stadium for an official match with a 4 a.m. kickoff. We know that’s not the reality right now, and every ticket a Mexico fan bought to turn up only for El Tri’s semifinal with Canada was one not available to a U.S. fan who wanted to see the early kick. But the U.S. still should’ve had better backing at SoFi.

Hopefully, that in-stadium support emerges soon.