Panama stun 10-man USA to claim shocking Copa América victory

The USA team had to endure more than 70 minutes with only 10 players on the field after Timothy Weah received a red card early in the game.

This disadvantage ultimately led to their defeat against a late goal by Jose Fajardo, shaking up Group C in Atlanta with one round of matches remaining.

In an effort to maintain a 37-year streak of host nations not being eliminated in the group stage, Gregg Berhalter opted to field an unchanged USA lineup following their impressive victory over Bolivia in the previous match.

The team stuck to the old adage of not fixing what isn't broken, even though it took them a bit longer to score compared to their third-minute goal against La Verde.

Despite Chris Richards' header hitting the crossbar after a well-executed set piece, Tim Ream was quick to assist Weston McKennie in finding the back of the net. Unfortunately, Ream was ruled offside, keeping the score level.

The situation worsened for the Stars and Stripes when Weah was shown a red card for violent conduct after a VAR review.

Upon review, it was evident that Weah had lashed out at Roderick Miller, prompting referee Ivan Cisneros to overturn the initial yellow card.

As experienced coaches often mention, playing against 10 men can be challenging, and this was evident when Folarin Balogun unexpectedly scored with his left foot to give his team the lead.
The lead was short-lived, as Slovan Bratislava's Cesar Blackman scored his first international goal after just four minutes, slotting the ball past Nottingham Forest's goalkeeper Matt Turner.

Due to an injury, Turner was substituted at halftime, leaving Ethan Horvath with the challenging task of maintaining a clean sheet with only 10 men on the field.

Horvath made a crucial save early in the second half, deflecting Edgardo Farina's powerful long-range shot. There was a scare when Cameron Carter-Vickers appeared to foul Fajardo in the penalty area, but VAR confirmed that there was no contact.

The USA struggled in the second half, failing to register a shot until Balogun's unexpected attempt in the 70th minute. However, Panama capitalized on the pressure, scoring a late goal through Fajardo in the 83rd minute.

This defeat puts the host nation in a difficult position, needing a positive result against Uruguay in the final group match to advance. Meanwhile, Panama, who had a player sent off late in the game, will face Bolivia.