USMNT knocked out of Gold Cup with shootout loss to Panama in semis
The United States ran out of magic from the penalty spot.
After a dramatic shootout win over Canada in the Gold Cup quarterfinals, the defending champion Americans couldn't replicate the feat in the semis, suffering an upset loss to Panama that ended their bid for consecutive continental titles.
Midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla, one of the standout players over 120 sweltering minutes in San Diego, smashed the decisive spot-kick into the top corner, sending Panama to its third Gold Cup final - and first in a decade - with a 5-4 shootout victory.
Looking for its maiden Gold Cup title, Thomas Christiansen's team will meet Mexico in Sunday's showpiece tilt. The U.S., a seven-time Gold Cup champion, was looking to reach the final for a fourth consecutive edition of the tournament.
It wasn't to be, though, as Orlando Mosquera made two saves in the shootout, including one on Cristian Roldan that teed up Carrasquilla to dispatch the winning effort.
The match ended 1-1 after extra time.
Ivan Anderson, originally omitted from the Panamanian squad and only called up as an injury replacement after the group stage, scored the contest's opening goal in extra time at Snapdragon Stadium. The substitute beat the U.S. offside trap and then poked the ball beyond an onrushing Matt Turner, who was a step late getting off his line, before tapping into an open net in the 99th minute. Jesus Ferreira answered just six minutes later, connecting on a gorgeous volley to bring B.J. Callaghan's team level.
The goal was Ferreira's seventh of the tournament, equaling Clint Dempsey for the most by an American player in a single Gold Cup.
But Ferreira was turned aside by Mosquera in the shootout, kicking off proceedings with an uncharacteristically tame attempt that put the Americans on the back foot.
After squandering that early edge and getting put on the brink of elimination during the shootout, Panama eventually regained the advantage and secured an upset win that ended Callaghan's interim reign as the U.S. bench boss.
Gregg Berhalter will now assume control of the team once more. The first match of his second spell as coach is slated for Sept. 9 against Uzbekistan.
"There's a lot of learning lessons that we're all going to take away as we now continue our preparation to the path of 2026," Callaghan said, referencing the 2026 World Cup that the U.S. is co-hosting.
"You had some older senior guys that had experience that we challenged to take on more leadership roles, mentorship roles, and that came out," he added. "And then we had a group of young players ... all striving to become part of that roster in 2026."