The United States was eliminated from the Copa America with a 1-0 loss to Uruguay on Mathías Olivera's questionable second-half goal, a defeat sure to increase pressure on the U.S. Soccer Federation to remove coach Gregg Berhalter before the 2026 World Cup on Monday in Kansas City. (More Football News)
Uruguay scored in the 66th minute when Nicolas De La Cruz swung a free kick in front of the U.S. goal. Matt Turner parried a header by Ronald Araújo, who out-jumped defender Tim Ream, but the rebound went right to Mathias Olivera and he tapped the ball in with his left foot.
Olivera appeared to be offside on the initial header but the goal stood after a video review.
Using a lineup of players entirely from European clubs, Berhalter and the U.S. hoped to show the team had advanced since its round-of-16 elimination against the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup. Instead, the U.S. managed only a 2-0 win over lowly Bolivia and were upset 2-1 by Panama, putting it in a tough situation Monday night.
바카라We had a good start and brought a lot of energy but at the end of the day, just not enough quality,바카라 U.S. captain Christian Pulisic said. 바카라I felt like we gave it everything but we just couldn't score.바카라
Three minutes before Uruguay scored, the U.S. was in position to advance when Bruno Miranda tied the score for Bolivia against Panama in a game that started simultaneously in Orlando, Florida. But Panama went on to a 3-1 victory and claimed the second spot in Group C behind Uruguay.
Berhalter was rehired in June 2023 and given a contract through the upcoming World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico. But despite a lineup that included Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams, the U.S. failed to even match its last Copa America appearance, when it lost to Argentina in the 2016 quarterfinals.
During the second half Monday night, the home crowd began chanting, 바카라Fire Gregg.바카라
The U.S. next plays September friendlies against Canada and New Zealand.
Uruguay played without coach Marcelo Biesla, suspended for sending his team out late for the second half of its first two games. Diego Reyes and Pablo Quiroga were in charge on a mild but humid night in Kansas City.
Berhalter and the Americans knew the difficulty of their situation 바카라 Pulisic at one point said they would need to play 바카라the best game of our lives바카라 to advance 바카라 and they looked like a team with nothing to lose for most of the first half.
It was one marked by physical play and questionable calls.
Folarin Balogun, who had two goals already in the tournament, bore the brunt of several challenges. He was left calling for help after a collision with Uruguayan goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, then was left rolling on the field after Araújo's challenge later in the half. Balogun eventually had to leave with a hip pointer and Ricardo Pepi took his place.
Uruguay lost Maximilliano Araújo earlier in the half after a scary collision with Ream near the U.S. goal. He had to be taken off the field on a stretcher, though he was able to move his arms before heading up the tunnel.
In the middle of the chaos was 32-year-old Peruvian referee Kevin Ortega, whose several questionable calls hurt the U.S.
The first came when Ortega began to pull a yellow card and stop play, then allowed it to continue 바카라 while still holding the card 바카라 as Uruguay nearly scored on an attack. The second came when the U.S. had a clear advantage after a hand ball on Uruguay, but the Peruvian referee eventually blew his whistle and called the play back for a free kick.
Antonee Robinson called it 바카라amateur hour바카라 but lamented the Americans' failure to rise above the referee.
바카라The result is on us,바카라 he said, 바카라and we weren't good enough.바카라
Uruguay started to apply more pressure midway through the second half, then had the Americans in desperation mode after Olivera found the back of the net. And while the U.S. had a few good runs, and a couple of good opportunities in the box, a team that had such big expectations was unable to find the two goals it needed 바카라 or even one.
바카라I mean, now it's just about getting a little bit of rest and regrouping and finding an identity again, and we have some big things ahead,바카라 Pulisic said. 바카라We're going to look forward to that.바카라
