The next World Cup hosts drop out. The USA are also out of the Copa America. A 1-0 loss to Uruguay, accompanied by discussions, seals their early failure
Long faces for the USA team and the home fans at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium. Thanks to a goal from Mathias Olivera in the 66th minute, Uruguay took the three points and advance to the quarter-finals of the Copa America as unblemished group leaders. Panama, who beat bottom-placed Bolivia 3-1 in Orlando, finished ahead of the US team in second place.
Two years before the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the USA alongside Mexico and Canada, national coach Gregg Berhalter’s team thus failed their dress rehearsal with two defeats and just one win. This is the first time a host nation has failed to progress beyond the group stage at the Copa
“If you look at the faces of the team and the players, we’re very disappointed with the result,” said Berhalter, who wants to carry on until the World Cup despite the elimination: “We know we’re capable of more and we didn’t show that in this tournament.” His captain Christian Pulisic, once a professional in the Dortmund Borussia jersey, added on US television that after a “good start with a lot of energy”, in the end “the quality just wasn’t enough.”
The USA gave Copa record champions Uruguay (like Argentina 15 wins) a tough fight in a rollercoaster of emotions. When Bolivia managed to equalize against Panama in Orlando, 2,000 kilometers away (69′), the fans in Kansas City were given hope. But only briefly, as Napoli defender Olivera dusted off a right-wing cross almost immediately. The VAR waved the goal through, with the home side hoping in vain for a retrospective decision for offside after minutes of studying the video sequences. However, referee Kevin Ortega did not look at the scene again, as Pulisic & Co. had requested. In the end, former Hoffenheim and Bayern professional Chris Richards apparently narrowly overturned the goalscorer’s offside position.
Pulisic: “Never seen before” – Late goals in Orlando
The US captain was furious after the game at what he felt was a generally poor refereeing performance: “Honestly, I saw things today that I’ve never seen before, right in front of me, I just can’t believe it,” Pulisic told reporters, but also qualified: “It’s not the reason why we lost. We weren’t knocked out of the tournament because of the refereeing.” Incidentally, the referee refused to shake Pulisic’s hand after the final whistle.
While Berhalter’s team were unable to turn the game around, Panama, who had taken the lead through Jose Fajardo (22), managed to break through in the parallel match with late goals from Eduardo Guerrero (79) and Cesar Yanis (90-1) and defeated the Bolivians 3-1. The referee team for this match, led by Brazilian Edina Alves Batista, was female for the first time in the 108-year history of the Copa.
The quarter-finals could now come down to the Uruguay-Brazil classic if Colombia (6 points) keep the Selecao (4) at bay in Wednesday night’s Group D clash. The knockout round opens on Thursday with defending champions Argentina against Ecuador. Surprise team Venezuela, still unbeaten, will face the only remaining World Cup 2026 hosts Canada.
