The next World Cup host is throwing in the towel. The USA is also out of the Copa America. A 0:1 defeat against Uruguay, accompanied by much controversy, seals the early defeat.
Jubilant Celeste: Uruguay wins at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. IMAGO/Agencia-MexSport
Long faces for the USA team and the home fans in Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium. Uruguay stole the three points thanks to a goal by Mathias Olivera in the 66th minute and moved into the quarter-finals of the Copa America as the perfect group winners. Panama, who beat bottom-placed Bolivia 3-1 in Orlando, finished second, ahead of the USA team.
Two years before the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the USA as well as Mexico and Canada, national coach Gregg Berhalter’s team failed the dress rehearsal with two defeats and only one win. For the first time, a host team did not make it past the group stage at the Copa.
“If you look at the faces of the team and the players, we are very disappointed with the result,” said Berhalter, who wants to continue to the World Cup despite the elimination: “We know that we are capable of more, and we did not show that in this tournament.” His captain Christian Pulisic, once a professional in the jersey of Borussia Dortmund, added on US television that after a “good start with a lot of energy” in the end “the quality was simply not enough.”
We are bitterly disappointed with the result. We know we can do better.
The USA gave the Copa record champions Uruguay (15 wins like Argentina) a tough fight in a rollercoaster of emotions. When Bolivia managed to equalize against Panama in Orlando, 2000 kilometers away (69th minute), the fans in Kansas City were able to hope. But only briefly, because almost immediately Napoli defender Olivera dusted off a cross from the right. The VAR waved the goal through, but the home team hoped in vain for a subsequent offside decision after studying the video sequences for minutes. 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 just overturned the goalscorer’s offside position.
Pulisic: “Never seen before” – Late goals in Orlando
The US captain was furious after the game about what he considered to be a generally poor refereeing performance: “Honestly, I saw things today that I’ve never seen before, right in front of my eyes, I just can’t believe it,” Pulisic told reporters, but also qualified: “It’s not the reason we lost. We didn’t get knocked out of the tournament because of the refereeing.” The referee refused to shake hands with Pulisic after the final whistle.
While Berhalter’s eleven could no longer turn the tables, Panama, which had taken the lead through Jose Fajardo (22nd), managed to break through in the parallel game with late goals from Eduardo Guerrero (79th) and Cesar Yanis (90th+1) and defeated the Bolivians 3-1. The referee team for this match, including Brazilian Edina Alves Batista, was female for the first time in the 108-year history of the Copa.
The quarter-finals could now see a classic match between Uruguay and Brazil if Colombia (6 points) keeps the Selecao (4) at bay in a direct duel in Group D on Wednesday night. The knockout round opens on Thursday with defending champion Argentina against Ecuador. Surprise team Venezuela, still undefeated, will face the only remaining 2026 World Cup host, Canada.
2024-07-02 06:58:52
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