The US national soccer team was surprised in the Copa America, but its chances of qualifying were greatly reduced

Panama came from behind to beat the United States men’s national team 2-1 on Thursday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in a Copa America group stage match that was marred by a red card for each team.

The United States’ game plan was shattered in the 18th minute when Timothy Weah was shown a straight red card for a push on Panama’s Roderick Miller. The referee initially gave Weah a yellow card, but upon review, he upgraded the penalty, reducing the USMNT to 10 players for the remainder of the match.

The hosts responded four minutes later by taking the lead through Folarin Balogun. He combined well with Antonee Robinson and then unleashed a stellar strike from the edge of the box, scoring his second goal of the tournament. Their lead was short-lived, however, with Cesar Blackman scoring from close range in the 26th minute as Panama benefited from a turnover and caught the USMNT defence off guard.

Panama spent much of the match as the dominant team, with 72.5% possession and outshooting the USMNT 13-6. Los Canaleros were wasteful looking for their goal, putting only four of their shots on target and losing the expected goals battle 0.92 to 1.04, but were rewarded for their man advantage in the 82nd minute. Substitute Jose Fajardo scored the goal from close range, cementing the USMNT’s defeat.

A chaotic game took another turn just four minutes later when Adalberto Carrasquilla was himself shown a red card for sending off Christian Pulisic, who was making a run for goal as the USMNT fervently searched for an equalizer that never came.

The result means the USMNT and Panama are now tied on points in Group C and are likely battling for second place. Both men most likely need wins in their final group stage matches on Monday, with tiebreakers favoring the hosts. The schedule, however, does not favor the United States: they must face Uruguay, who are now the favorites for the top of the group, while Panama faces Bolivia, currently at the bottom of the ladder.