Anibal Godoy scored the winning goal in the 54th minute, and Panama defeated the United States 1-0 in a World Cup qualifying match. American coach Gregg Berhalter had just started a mostly second-string lineup during a hectic stretch of three matches in seven.
- ESPN+ viewers' guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more
- Do you not have ESPN? Get instant access
Christian Pulisic and Giovanni Reyna were injured, Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams were on the bench. Antonee Robinson was not able to travel due to British COVID-19 restrictions, which would have meant he had to be quarantined upon his return from England.
The U.S. team was far from their best and the Americans appeared nervous and overamped throughout the first half. Adams was in the second half when he gave away a corner kick which led to Adams scoring on a ball that he might have been able clear.
Eric Davis' corner was occupied by Godoy, the 31-year old Godoy. He passed goalkeeper Matt Turner and was inside the far post. This caused a crowd of about three-quarters to shake Estadio Rommel Florandez.
Turner stated, "We're going back to this and be frustrated." "Physically, the intensity was not there. "Physically, the intensity wasn't there. They received a tremendous boost from their home crowd. We didn't match or exceed that."
Paul Arriola, the USMNT, had a night not to be forgotten in Panama. Rogelio Figueroa/Getty Images
Aaronson gave the U.S. a more energetic and faster pace. Christian Roldan, Ricardo Pepi and DeAndre Yedlin entered the game in the 67th. The game was stopped twice by fans running onto the field during the last few minutes. A ball was also thrown from the stands. The ball boys were not helpful and threw multiple balls onto the pitch when one was out of bounds.
Turner stated, "I had two or three." "I was trying to get them off of the field as fast as possible. I didn't want to see the game stop. There were many people running around the field. The ball boys were throwing the balls and kicking them onto the field. "I was trying to keep the chaos away from the field and maintain our momentum."
The loss ended the 13-game streak of unbeaten American matches, which included 11 wins. This match took place on the fourth anniversary the U.S.'s 2-1 defeat at Trinidad, which ended a streak that included seven World Cup appearances. Panama was able to reach the World Cup after that loss.
Berhalter replaced seven starters in Thursday's 2-0 win over Jamaica by Gyasi Zardes and Kellyn Acosta. He also added Timothy Weah (Sebastian Lletget), Shaq Moore, Mark McKenzie, George Bello, and Timothy Weah. Turner was joined by three other holdovers, Yunus Mulah, Walker Zimmerman and Paul Arriola.
Panama used the same starting line-up in its three qualifying matches and nine of the eleven who started Thursday's 1-0 defeat at El Salvador. In the first minutes, Acosta was prone to overhit corner kicks as well as free kicks.
Panama almost won the match in 14 minutes when Freddy Gondola crossed the ball to Rolando Blackburn. He couldn't touch the ball in front. In the 27th minute, Davis' corner kick was deflected over the far post.
Turner crossed the crossbar in 28th. In the 34th, he extended his right arm out to deflect Gondola’s point-blank shot following Acosta's giveaway. Panama was whistled offside. Turner tipped Edgar Barcenas’ shot over the bar at the 45th.
Adams stated that "In the first part it was probably a bit of lackluster energy and competiveness." "We need to do better."
