Jul 12, 2023; San Diego, Californina, USA; Panama players react after defeating the United States at Snapdragon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Soccer: CONCACAF Gold Cup-Panama at USA
(San Diego, CA) — The United States has fallen short of the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final for the first time since 2015.
The Americans fell to Panama in penalties after a 1-1 draw and was eliminated from the tournament.
Jesus Ferreira scored the lone goal for the U.S. with one minute remaining in the first half of extra time to tie the game at one-all and eventually send the match to penalties.
Panama scored on five of six penalty kicks, while Americans Jesus Ferreira and Cristian Roldan fell short on their attempts.
“We’re disappointed that we weren’t able to achieve that,” interim head coach B.J. Callaghan said, who was quick to point out the silver lining. “We had moments of adversity, we saw the group respond to it and I think there was a lot of learning lessons that we’re all going to take away as we continue our preparation to 2026.”
With the European-based players needing an extended rest after the winter World Cup, the roster was made up of predominantly young players.
The U.S. men’s national team won’t defend its Gold Cup title, while Panama advanced to the finals for the third time in their history.
They will face Mexico in the final on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
