The United States lost 2-1 to Panama in the Copa America on Thursday in Atlanta, in a match marked by a chaotic ending, a red card to Timothy Weah and an injury to goalkeeper Matt Turner.
Jose Fajardo scored the decisive goal for Panama after a scramble in front of the U.S. goal, and Adalberto Carrasquilla was also sent off for a reckless tackle on Christian Pulisic in a match that leaves both teams with three points after two games.
After an erratic 20 minutes, the United States appeared to have taken the lead through Weston McKennie but the goal was disallowed for offside, before Weah was sent off with a straight red card for headbutting Panama’s Roderick Miller.
Despite losing a man, the United States took the lead shortly after Weah’s sending-off, when Folarin Balogun scored with a sublime left-footed long-range strike.
Panama responded by sending the ball to César Blackman in the penalty area. His low shot was slightly deflected to beat Turner and tie the score.
Ethan Horvath came on in place of Turner at halftime, with the American number 1 unable to continue playing after suffering a heavy foul in the first half.
The United States benefited from a VAR call midway through the second half after Cameron Carter-Vickers was whistled for a penalty in the box, but the decision was overturned following a video review and the score remained unchanged.
In total, five yellow cards and two red cards were issued during the match.
The Americans’ chances of qualifying depend on their final game against Uruguay on Monday, where they will likely need to win to reach the quarterfinals. Panama will face Bolivia the same day.
