Panama has achieved an astonishing upheaval in the League of Concacaf Nations, beating the United States to obtain a place in the final. The dramatic victory refused the Americans a chance to defend their title, because Panama is now waiting for Canada or Mexico during the confrontation of the championship.
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The United States’s offer for a fourth consecutive title in the Concacaf Nations League ended when it fell 1-0 in Panama after a goal of stopping Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California.
Panama spent most of the defense match, but jumped on a gift by the Americans before the replacement of the Waterman striker sends a shot on the right side of the area at the lower left corner at the end of the time.
Panama against Mexico or Canada Concacaf Nations Final League
The next for Panama in the Sunday’s final will be the winner of the other semi-final on Thursday between Mexico and Canada.
For the United States, their latest defeat against Panama is a massive blow because their only chance of collecting silverware before co-hostering the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada is now based with the Gold Cup from June 14 to June 6.
The United States has entered the match in the hope of avenge a defeat against Panama at the COPA America from last year where the hosts failed to reach the direct elimination stadium, a humiliating result which led to the dismissal of head coach Gregg Berhalter.
After a slightly provisional departure on Thursday, the United States experienced a brief section where Panama threatened, marking almost twice while another chance was wasted by an offside call just after the brand halfway with a goalless first half.
Josh Sargent almost opened the scoring in the 19th minute when he was free in front of the goal of Panama, from where his shot struck a defender, then the post before being erased.
A few moments later, Weston McKennie delivered a strong head of the rear post after a brilliant crossing of Timothy Weah, but the goalkeeper of Panama Orlando Mosquera was in perfect condition to make the backup.
Sargent then found the back of the Panama net, but Weah was clearly offside in the accumulation and the flag of the touch increased immediately after the ball crossed the goal line.
The United States had had several chances of this last part of the game while the defense record all night seemed to be SAP of the force of Panama players and left them unable to generate many things on the path of an attack to the late turnover.
The United States remains the only team to win the League of Concacaf Nations – which was launched in 2019 and is shaped after its UEFA counterpart – having triumphed in 2021, 2023 and 2024.
Canada enters its undefeated semi-final in three consecutive games against Mexico, the last one being a 0-0 draw in a friendly match held last September in Texas.
The two games played a competitive match in November 2021 for the last time when Canada won a 2-1 victory in a World Cup qualification match played in Edmonton in the middle of icy temperatures and with snow stacked on the side of the field.
