The United States men’s national soccer team’s run in the 2024 Copa América ended in a familiar way for American soccer fans: disappointment.
The USMNT lost 1-0 to Uruguay on July 1 in their final group stage game. This meant the team finished in third place in Group C and exited the tournament. When the knockout stage begins on July 4, the host nation will now have to watch from the sidelines.
How it Happened
The USMNT got off to a fast start to the tournament when forward Christian Pulisic scored three minutes into their first game against Bolivia. Right before the end of the first half, forward Folarin Balogun doubled the USMNT’s lead. The USMNT dominated the game and the 2-0 win secured an important three points for the team.
After a positive opening game, things went off track for the U.S. in the team’s second game against Panama. Forward Tim Weah hit Panamanian defender Roderick Miller in the head 16 minutes into the game and received a red card. The foul was unnecessary and put the team in a challenging situation.
Even though they were down a man, the USMNT took the lead minutes after Weah was sent off when Balogun converted a long range strike. However, Panama responded quickly, tying the game with a goal from defender César Blackman.
A tie would have been a good result for the 10-man USMNT, but Panama pushed for a winner. In the 83rd minute, midfielder Abdiel Ayarza found forward José Fajardo in the box for Panama’s game-winning goal. Instead of advancing to the quarterfinals with a win, the USMNT emerged from the game with a loss and an uncertain tournament fate.
Going into the final group stage game against Uruguay, the USMNT needed to match or better Panama’s result against Bolivia to finish second in Group C. With Panama likely to beat Bolivia, the USMNT had to beat one of South America’s current best teams to advance.
The USMNT did play with high intensity against Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay, but their string of bad luck continued. Balogun went off in the first half with an injury, and although the team competed well, they struggled to create goal-scoring opportunities.
Uruguay took the lead in the 66th minute when defender Mathías Olivera scored off a set play. As the USMNT was losing, Panama pulled ahead of Bolivia, meaning the U.S. would have to come from behind late to advance to the quarterfinals. This unlikely comeback did not happen, dumping the USMNT out of the competition.
Repercussions
The group stage exit is an embarrassing one for the USMNT. A host nation has never not advanced to the knockout stages at a Copa America with a group stage. Additionally, the USMNT has never failed to qualify for the knockout stage of a tournament they hosted.
This Copa result also raises questions about how truly talented this USMNT team is. In previous tournaments, the U.S. has managed unlikely results against better teams. Examples include a 3-2 win against Portugal at the 2002 World Cup and a 3-0 victory over Argentina at the 1995 Copa América. The USMNT also made it to the semifinals at the 1995 and 2016 Copa editions.
Recently, the USMNT has been unable to produce a spectacular win against a top team. The 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the 2022 World Cup and the 1-0 loss to Uruguay are some examples. Since Gregg Berhalter became head coach in 2018, the U.S. has gone 0-5-5 against top-15 teams, excluding Mexico.
This U.S. team, while talented, has lacked the grit to find results against better teams. This has cost them massively at major international tournaments.
Future Outlook
Ahead of hosting the 2026 Fifa World Cup, the current outlook for the USMNT is uncertain. This generation of players, once touted as the group to raise the USMNT to new heights, has not lived up to these expectations.
Change is needed imminently to prevent the team’s stagnancy, and this could come with a new head coach. While Berhalter stabilized the USMNT after the humiliating failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, it might be time for fresh ideas. American coach Jesse Marsch was previously available, but he took a job with Canada in May and has now steered them to the Copa América quaterfinals.
Fans will also hope the players mature between now and the summer of 2026. While there is still time left for this “golden generation,” there are questions about how talented this team actually is. It will take a while for the USMNT to pick itself up after this recent disappointment.