KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The U.S. men’s national team crashed out of the 2024 Copa América here on Monday after losing a full-blooded fight.
It squared up to Uruguay, Group C’s most powerful puncher. For an hour, it neutralized one of the Copa’s most impressive contenders thus far. It endured bruising physical duels. In moments, it looked capable of winning.
What it needed, though, was to score.
Over 90 tense and frantic minutes here at Arrowhead Stadium, it never did.
Instead, it conceded a controversial second-half goal to Uruguay’s Mathías Olivera — which appeared to be offside, but was confirmed by a video review — and lost 1-0.
Panama, playing simultaneously, beat Bolivia 3-1, leaving the Americans in a distant third place and eliminated.
At the final whistle, some players sunk to the ground; others keeled over at the waist; others just stood there, defeated and dumbfounded.
In the end, though, it was their previous match that cost them. They arrived in Kansas City wounded and reeling, beaten by Panama and pushed to the brink in Group C. A week ago, it appeared so simple; suddenly, failure lurked in the bowels of Arrowhead, ready to pounce if the U.S. couldn’t beat Uruguay, a flyweight giant of the sport.
“We have to go and play the best game of our lives,” Christian Pulisic said Thursday.
On the eve of the Uruguay showdown, he amended that statement; it was hyperbolic; “maybe I was a bit emotional,” he said. But the size of the task and the stakes were clear. “We have to play a really strong game,” Pulisic said.
Thirty hours later, they tried.
In some respects, they did.
But Uruguay was stronger. Uruguay is stronger. Uruguay was the team that grew into Monday’s game in the second half and forced the U.S. to fade. Uruguay was the team less perturbed by the physicality.
The first half was forceful and occasionally unhinged. Crunching tackles floored several players. Two — Uruguay’s Maxi Araujo and U.S. striker Folarin Balogun — exited with injuries after scary collisions.
It was also littered with sketchy refereeing. On one occasion, official Kevin Ortega whistled for a foul on U.S. defender Chris Richards, and whipped out a yellow card — then tucked it away to allow Uruguay to play advantage. The resulting chance nearly yielded an opening goal, but Tim Ream scrambled back to clear.
The U.S., in general, matched Uruguay’s intensity — which was no easy feat. The Americans were better for the opening 30 minutes, a minor victory on its own given the strength of Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguayan team.
But, as has been the case far too often under head coach Gregg Berhalter, they couldn’t find a goal. They created just 0.3 Expected Goals to Uruguay’s 1.3.
“I mean, we had a good start and brought a lot of energy,” Pulisic said postgame, “but at the end of the day, just not enough quality. I felt like we gave it everything, but we just couldn’t find the solutions to score.”
Once Panama scored in the 22nd minute against Bolivia in Group C’s other match, the U.S. had to conjure some quality; it had to create something.
For a few brief second-half minutes, Bolivia gave the USMNT life. The Bolivians equalized against Panama. Had both games ended in a draw, the U.S. would have snuck through to the knockout rounds on goal differential.
But less than a minute after Bolivia’s goal was confirmed by a video review, the U.S. conceded on a set piece.
Panama later scored a second to go back ahead, and then a third.
Uruguay maintained control, saw out its 1-0 win, and sent U.S. players trudging toward their locker room to confront failure, toward Copa América exits.
Uruguay is moving on to the 2024 Copa América quarterfinals after eliminating the USMNT with a 1-0 victory on Monday in Kansas City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
They trudged, crestfallen, shattered, despondent, earlier than anyone expected. Many had been asked in the preceding weeks about expectations and benchmarks for the Copa; external assumptions were that a quarterfinal berth would be acceptable and a semifinal successful, but some players went further: Why not try to win it?
Few seemed to even consider a group-stage flop. It was so far beneath the USMNT’s apparently inflated sense of self. And it would so clearly constitute colossal disappointment.
But it happened, and now all eyes will turn to what happens next. They’ll turn to U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker, and to Berhalter. A majority of fans and pundits now seem to agree that he should be fired. Will he be? If so, who will replace him? And if not, how will he and the USMNT respond?
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A mostly-under-23 team will head to the Paris Olympics later this month. But for the full USMNT, the next 18 months will be relatively barren. There will be monotonous, low-profile friendlies. There will be tiresome regional competitions.
This Copa América fracaso will hang over all of them, because this was the tournament that was supposed to elevate the program; this was its stepping stone toward the 2026 World Cup in North America. Instead, the U.S. will enter 2026 with approximately zero evidence that it can hang with the elite of international soccer and contend.
Mathías Olivera heads in a rebound and Uruguay takes the lead, but a review is underway
BOLIVIA HAS SCORED, THE U.S. SITS 2ND IN THE GROUP
Uruguay beginning to impose itself on the game
A few “nearly” moments for La Celeste early in this second half. They’ve established themselves as the better team here. U.S. needs to keep up (and, ya know, find a goal)
50′ Matias Vina’s header goes wide
Back underway…
With more scrums and full-blooded challenges.
Weston McKennie creates the first half-chance of the second half for himself, but skies it way over the bar from 20 yards away, off balance.
Halftime: U.S. 0-0 Uruguay
It’s been a pretty good U.S. performance. But, as it stands, not good enough.
With Panama winning, the Americans will need to find a goal from somewhere. For a while, they looked capable. But then their best goalscorer, Folarin Balogun, exited the game with an injury.
They’ll also have to match Uruguay’s physical output for 90 minutes, which is a tall task.
I’m doing my best refereeing the soccer game. It’s my first day. Sorry. Sorry.
After a strong opening 30 minutes from the U.S., and after injuries disrupted the game a bit, Uruguay’s quality is beginning to rise to the surface a bit.
Still a relatively balanced game, though.
Nearly halftime, still 0-0 here, and 1-0 Panama in Orlando — meaning, as it stands, the U.S. would be eliminated.
45′ ONLY 5 minutes extra time added
So far the seemingly good move to bring Musah into midfield has been a disaster, because Musah has been a disaster
Making simple mistakes, like allowing advantage after he’d pulled out a yellow card… and now, he blew the whistle for a Uruguay hand ball even though the U.S. had a clear advantage, with Christian Pulisic breaking down the right wing.
41′ Ricardo Pepi subs in for Folarin Balogun
Balo is coming off injured
Folarin Balogun seems to be favoring his left leg, after two recent collisions that left him on the grass, one requiring extended treatment.
And… now he’s down.
Ricardo Pepi replaces him. Real shame, after Balo scored in each of the first two games.
Massive moment for Pepi, though.
Wild game
Three injury stoppages in the last 10 minutes.
Crunching tackles, curious refereeing, general chaos.
The USMNT is hanging with Uruguay so far, perhaps more so than many would expect.
The referee has already lost control. Looks like he was stuck in between two minds.
He blew the whistle, wanted to give a yellow but as he’s giving the yellow he let Uruguay play quickly meanwhile the US and Richards was processing their booking.
Richards booked, but in the middle of showing yellow card, play is allowed to continue and Ream clears dangerous cross. Crazy that the free kick was allowed to be taken when yellow being shown. #usmnt
Man, this is a physical, physical game. Maxi Araújo leaves on a stretcher, Tim Ream hurt a few times, Flo Balogun now down. Rochet also was down. Both get up but goddamn, I guess this is what they call fighting fire with fire.
— Luis Miguel Echegaray (@lmechegaray) July 2, 2024
29′ Balogun goes down
Clash of heads between Ream and Maxi Araujo. Araujo stretchered off. Scary situation. #usmnt
Tyler Adams controversially booked after getting cleated by Olivera
The Uruguayan perspective
Uruguayan reporter next to me in the press box says that these first 15 minutes are the lowest he’s seen Uruguay yet at this Copa América.
13′ Gio to Balo just off
Lively U.S. start
Similar to the opener against Bolivia — but obviously much more impressive, given the strength of this opponent — the USMNT has started well.
Midfield has been combative. Gio Reyna has been lively on the left wing. Rest defense has been pretty solid, limiting Uruguay’s counters.
15th minute, no goals yet in either game.
Between the TV camera angle (pic via @NickBromberg), the corners (pic via @stuholden) and the sparse Copa América signage/branding here (only one thin ring around field)…
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