GOAL analyzes winners and losers from USMNT's disastrous loss to Panama in Copa America group stage
There's a scene in the sports movie "The Replacements" that seems fitting. It's a comedy about American football, yes, but this scene will perfectly encapsulate how the U.S. men's national team will be feeling after Thursday night's shocking 2-1 loss to Panama.
In the scene, Keanu Reeves' character talks about quicksand – not the literal kind, the metaphorical kind.
"You're playing and you think everything is going fine," he says during a heartfelt talk with his team. "Then one thing goes wrong. And then another. And another. You try to fight back, but the harder you fight, the deeper you sink. Until you can't move, you can't breathe, because you're in over your head. Like quicksand."
That's precisely what Thursday night was for the USMNT: quicksand. Every mistake led to another. Every wrong was followed up by another one. And, in the end, as hard as they fought, there was no preventing the sinking, deeper and deeper.
It was a nightmare for the USMNT's own doing, and that's why it will hurt even more. This was all so … avoidable. The USMNT knew exactly what they were in for, exactly what they would face in terms of Panama's attack and physicality – and they messed it up anyway.
Tim Weah's early red card set the tone, and it wasn't the one the USMNT wanted. Weah will take most of the blame, but he wasn't the only one perpetrator; from top to bottom, the U.S. wasn't wily enough to navigate everything that happened after the red card. Individual mistakes, moments of rage, the inability to close out a game – it was all there, and it explains the dire circumstances in which the USMNT finds themselves in this tournament.
Now, they'll have to fight for their lives against Uruguay next Monday. It's still in their hands, of course, but this Copa America may have just slipped away on Thursday night in Atlanta. The USMNT isn't totally buried, but the push to get out of this metaphorical quicksand will only get harder.
GOAL examines the winners and losers of Thursday night's match.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Tim Weah
Inexcusable. There's no other way to look at it. Sometimes, red cards happen within the flow of the game, but this? As dumb as it gets.
Weah is a veteran so he'll know how big of a mistake this was. This also was totally out of character. Weah is normally the calming presence, the most relaxed guy in the room. He never loses his cool but, in this massive moment, he did.
"It's a shame because there was more in this game," Gregg Berhatler said, "and a silly decision by Timmy leaves us shorthanded."
Panama's only real hope in this game was to provoke a reaction from the U.S., and Weah reacted in the worst way imaginable. You simply can't swing your arms near an opponent's head. Intentional or unintentional, you put yourself at the mercy of the referee.
In this case, there was no doubt. Weah's movement looked more like a jab than a swing, leaving the referee with a relatively easy decision. Weah was off, leaving his teammates to suffer for his moment of madness.
Now, the whole tournament is at risk. This summer is a legacy-defining one for many of these USMNT stars, and that is now being threatened due to one swing of the arm.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWINNER: Folarin Balogun
There are no doubts anymore: Balogun is the guy. He was the USMNT's bright spot on Thursday but, unfortunately for him, he was let down in a big way.
Moments after Weah's red, Balogun stepped up and into the moment. In any situation, his rocket of a finish would be massive. Considering the state of the game, it felt tournament-defining. It was exactly the response the U.S. needed. Surely, they'd calm down a bit and bring order to the match.
Nope. Four minutes later, the USMNT gave it away. Balogun, though, didn't stop pushing. He hit the bar later in the match and threatened throughout with his pace. It wasn't to be for the USMNT, but Balogun couldn't have done much more.
They'll need him going forward, particularly given the challenges ahead. Balogun looks like a player for big moments after being one of the few to really embrace the challenge at hand on against Panama.
GettyLOSER: Ivan Barton
The goal of every match referee is to not be noticed but, by halftime, nearly everyone watching Thursday's match hadn't just noticed Barton, they knew him by name.
Barton has a reputation for being yellow-card-happy, but it was quite clear from the start that he was going to struggle to control this match. It all began when U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner was clattered early in the game. Barton opted not to show a card and, from there, it spiraled out of control.
Weah's red card is the winger's fault and his alone, but there's also something to be said about a referee ensuring that players don't reach that level of frustration with physicality. It was still so early, but the match was already getting ugly, and that's down to the referee.
"We talked beforehand about the tendencies of this referee," Berhalter said. "We knew what he's capable of and to be honest I think we played right into his hands."
It didn't get much better from there. Barton was inconsistent with his whistle and his cards, drawing the ire of the American crowd. By the end, the game turned into a brawl of sorts, with Panama earning several cards, headlined by a red card to Coco Carasquilla for a horrific tackle on Christian Pulisic.
"Toward the end, it got a bit silly," Balogun told FOX Sports postgame. "I mean, It’s obviously the referee’s job to manage the match. You can’t control that, but I didn’t think the way the game was finished was in a professional manner."
Overall, this wasn't the refereeing performance that this game needed. This was always going to be a CONCACAF cage match, and Barton simply wasn't equipped to handle it.
GettyWINNER: Panama
Talk about executing a gameplan.
Panama knew exactly what it would take to win on Thursday. They were underdogs as they so often are against the USMNT. However, in recent years, this program has learned how to thrive in that role, having repeatedly lured the USMNT into their traps in big games.
They laid their trap early in this one, baiting Weah into his red. From that moment, they had the U.S. right where they wanted them. Up a man and with a bit more spring in their step, Panama knew they had a chance. They had to earn it, but their opportunity had arrived.
Ultimately, Panama seized it and, once they did, they made sure the USMNT couldn't wrestle it back. Did they make it ugly to seal the win? Yes. Did it borderline on dirty? A bit. Was it effective, though? Hell yeah.
Now, Panama will be the favorite to escape this group. A win over Bolivia would be enough to see them through. Few would have seen this coming outside of Panama but their ability to grind out this win has them on their way.