The United States men’s national team bowed out of the Copa America on Monday night as a second-half goal from Mathias Olivera helped Uruguay to victory in the final Group C game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
Following their demoralizing 2-1 defeat to Panama last Thursday, which saw Tim Weah sent off early, the hosts had their backs against the wall. This was a must-win situation if they wanted to advance to the knockout stage of the tournament.
Head coach Gregg Berhalter once again went with his trusted 4-3-3 formation. Yunus Musah was brought into the starting eleven while Gio Reyna was moved to the left side of the attack and Christian Pulisic shifted to the right.
It was a very physical first half of play as the U.S. was aggressive in their pursuit of the game’s first goal. However, it would be their play in the final third that would let them down. Their best opportunity came in the 13th minute when Tyler Adams picked up the loose ball at midfield and darted towards the Uruguay goal. He would pass it to Reyna on the left to send a threatening low cross to the center for Folarin Balogun, but it would be snuffed out by goalkeeper Sergio Rochet.
The physicality in the first half forced one of the Americans off the field as Balogun went down with a knock in the 27th minute. Some good passing saw Weston McKennie play the ball to the forward as he raced into the 18-yard box. However, some pressure from the Uruguayan defender saw Balogun collide with Rochet, ending his night as Ricardo Pepi stepped onto the field in his place.
With Panama up 1-0 on Bolivia, the U.S. was even more desperate to find the goals to seal their passage into the next round as the second half commenced.
However, it would be Uruguay that turned their game up a notch as they threatened the U.S. goal, and they were rewarded for their efforts in the 66th minute. Nicolas de la Cruz’s free-kick was headed on target by Ronald Araujo, forcing Matt Turner to parry it away, but Olivera was on the spot to recover the loose ball and put it into the goal.
There was some dispute as to whether the goal was good as the U.S. players pleaded with the referee for an offside call, but after a review from VAR, the goal stood, putting the hosts under more pressure.
A chance came for the Americans to level the score in the 75th minute when Rochet and two Uruguayan defenders converged on the ball in their box only for it to be turned over to McKennie. He would give it to Pepi who then teed up Pulisic for a shot, but the ball took a deflection and was headed away. They had another chance in the 86th minute when Haji Wright put a shot on target that caught Rochet off guard, but he was able to recover in time to keep the ball out of the goal.
With Panama winning their game 3-1 over Bolivia, the U.S. just had no answers and with the final whistle coming, they joined their 2026 World Cup co-host Mexico out of the Copa America at the first stage.
Many questions will need to be answered before June 11, 2026, as the U.S. will continue their preparations for the World Cup.
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