77 min: Yunus Musah is being prepped as the last US sub. Pepi tracks back to win the ball neatly, and after some back-and-forth, the USA have a throw-in. 76 min: Pulisic’s free kick doesn’t make it to the mixer. Panama quickly counter, and Horvath has to come out and play it … and it doesn’t go very far. Scally just barely hoofs the ball away from danger. 75 min: Fajardo resumes his battle with Carter-Vickers, trying but failing to get on the end of a through ball. Horvath cleans up. Pulisic is tripped near midfield. Martinez was late with that one, and that’ll be his last action. On comes Abdiel Ayarza. 73 min: Pretty buildup from Panama with a nice backheel in the penalty area from Barcenas to the overlapping Murrillo. The shot isn’t strong, though, and it’s straight to Horvath. USA go the other way, and Robinson has a chance to cross, but it’s too far. 72 min: That’ll be Balogun’s last action. He gets a standing ovation as he leaves, replaced by Ricardo Pepi, who came close to scoring several times against Bolivia. 70 mins: Pulisic comes back to win the ball, then gets it back and goes up the left. He plays to Balogun, who times his run perfectly but has an acute angle. Pulisic has his hand raised for a return pass, but Balogun opts to shoot, and it goes wide. The pass wasn’t easy, either. But that was promising. 69 min: Balogun takes a little whack to the face. He’ll take a moment to recover. The USA, though, turn it over again. The defending has been heroic. But they have to get to the other end of the field at some point, if for no other reason than to take a breather while the ball travels to the other end. 67 mins: Joe Pearson writes to laugh about the microphone problems. Hey, I’ve seen it happen on Saturday Night Live to Dave Grohl of all people. Panama resume kicking the ball around in the attacking half. In fact, I wrote something about that. 66 min: Barton does indeed overturn his call. Again, we don’t hear his statement on the matter. His microphone might not be working at all. Oh – NOW his microphone is working, as he explains his call to Carter-Vickers. As a ref myself, I wish I had VAR. It’s working perfectly here. Yep, the VAR has called over Barton. This is going to get reversed. Penalty to Panama Just as Stu Holden lauds the USA’s ability to cut out crosses, Panama puts in a dangerous ball, and Carter-Vickers lunges at Fajardo. But on the replay … hmmmm … Carter-Vickers got the ball and Fajardo topped over him. 60 min: Another sub for Panama – Freddy Gondola replaces the goal scorer, Blackman. McKennie earns a free kick deep in the US half. So far, though, no US players have been getting on the end of Horvath’s long deliveries. They will indeed check to see if Carter-Vickers fouled Fajardo, but it looked like Fajardo pushed into the Celtic defender, and he stood his ground well. VAR check over. 57 min: Horvath has to play with his feet under pressure, but it doesn’t seem to bother him. Long punt now from Horvath, but Panama immediately win it back and race down the right. Carter-Vickers ends up defending in his own area, and … oh dear, that looked frighteningly close to a penalty shout. 55 min: Say this for the US defense and midfield for now – the crosses that were so dangerous for Panama in the first half have not materialized in this half. Antonee Robinson is still pressing forward, and he earns a throw-in deep in the attacking third that McKennie does NOT take. 54 min: Panama resume Operation Pass The Ball 300 Times. 52 min: McKennie is becoming the throw-in specialist here, taking long throws to the center of the penalty area. This one doesn’t miss his teammates by much. That’ll give Panama something to think about. As referees, we usually say throw-ins are among the least consequential decisions we make. Might not be the case here. 51 min: CHANCE for Panama, as Fariña steps forward from the backline and blasts a 25-yard shot – straight at Horvath, but the motion on the ball makes it a difficult stop. Horvath knocks it down and collects. First test passed. 49 min: Panama have had almost all of the possession so far. The USA haven’t been able to break out of their half. 47 min: Panama corner kick sails through, giving Horvath a chance to make his first touch a goal kick. Also, Jose Fajardo replaces Eduardo Guerrero for Panama. A little surprising they didn’t save that sub for a little later when the USA might start to tire? Three halftime subs, including Matt Turner Goalkeeper Matt Turner, banged up in a collision in the first half, will not continue. Ethan Horvath is in. Tyler Adams, predictably, is out. Johnny Cardoso is in. Defender Cameron Carter-Vickers is in, replacing Gio Reyna. Fox’s Jenny Taft says they’re going 5-3-1. Stat alert Panama have completed 224 passes. The USA have completed 83. Let’s give a bit of credit here to Panamanian keeper Orlando Mosquera. If he hadn’t made the initial save on the Chris Richards shot, it’s unlikely the officials would have penalized Tim Ream for being in an offside position. He didn’t interfere with play until he got his foot to the rebound. How differently would this play out with an early 1-0 lead? Would Weah have been less frustrated and not picked up the red card? Halftime: USA 1-1 Panama They’re still tied, but things look bleak for the US side. They’re down to 10 men, and Panama are wisely working the ball around and making them chase. That’ll take its toll over time. The USA will need to pick up a goal somehow – and Balogun just might do it again – to get out with a win. 45 min +3: CHANCE for the USA, with Scally sending Balogun through. His near-post shot clangs off the bar. It’s called back for offside, anyway. 45 min +2: Off the free kick, the ball ends up with Adams, whose shaky pass sends Panama going the other way. Enough US players track back to nullify the threat. 45 min +1: Balogun draws yet another foul, and this will be a free kick from about 30 yards out. 45 min: Guerrero slams into Scally at midfield and picks up a yellow card. Five minutes of stoppage. 44 min: More danger from Panama. Long ball across to Davis on the left, and he’s able to direct the ball back across the face of goal, where he finds no teammates. 42 min: Another long stretch of possession for Panama, ending with an impatient, wayward cross. 40 min: Balogun has been excellent. He draws a foul at midfield. The free kick is taken quickly to the center of the box, where it’s Pulisic against two defenders, and Pulisic hits the turf. Have to imagine VAR is checking that. 37 min: Unnecessary foul on Balogun deep in the corner, giving the USA a free-kick opportunity. It’s another dangerous delivery from Pulisic, and McKennie gets a head to it but can’t win it cleanly. 36 min: Dangerous Panamanian cross, and it’s another corner kick. Panama have been trying some fun wrinkles on their corners, but this one ends up with a wayward long pass out of play. 33 min: Adams is stripped of the ball at midfield, and Robinson ends up fouling Martinez. The referee plays advantage but comes back after the play to give Robinson a yellow card while Martinez stays down. 32 min: Turner punts. Balogun is offside. The mental lapses in this game have been extraordinary. 30 min: Corner kick to Panama, and they take it to the top corner of the penalty area to someone left completely unmarked. The USA get away with one there. Reminder: Tyler Adams is NOT fully fit. He only played 45 minutes in the opener. With the USA getting overrun in center midfield and at center back, can they afford to leave him out there now? 29 min: At what point should Gregg Berhalter consider a sub to shore things up defensively? The answer might need to be “soon.” Panama is crossing the ball into the penalty area at will. Antonee Robinson can only do so much. Goaaaaaal! USA 1-1 Panama (Blackman 26) Just what the USA did not need. Everyone reacted slowly in the middle of the field – in fact, it was left back Antonee Robinson who came over to close things down, but the ball lands at Blackman’s feet, and the defender neatly places it dead straight and just inside the post. There was a VAR check, perhaps to see if Gio Reyna was fouled in the buildup, but it passes without an on-field review. 42 min: Another long stretch of possession for Panama, ending with an impatient, wayward cross. 40 min: Balogun has been excellent. He draws a foul at midfield. The free kick is taken quickly to the center of the box, where it’s Pulisic against two defenders, and Pulisic hits the turf. Have to imagine VAR is checking that. 37 min: Unnecessary foul on Balogun deep in the corner, giving the USA a free-kick opportunity. It’s another dangerous delivery from Pulisic, and McKennie gets a head to it but can’t win it cleanly. 36 min: Dangerous Panamanian cross, and it’s another corner kick. Panama have been trying some fun wrinkles on their corners, but this one ends up with a wayward long pass out of play. 33 min: Adams is stripped of the ball at midfield, and Robinson ends up fouling Martinez. The referee plays advantage but comes back after the play to give Robinson a yellow card while Martinez stays down. 32 min: Turner punts. Balogun is offside. The mental lapses in this game have been extraordinary. 30 min: Corner kick to Panama, and they take it to the top corner of the penalty area to someone left completely unmarked. The USA get away with one there. Reminder: Tyler Adams is NOT fully fit. He only played 45 minutes in the opener. With the USA getting overrun in center midfield and at center back, can they afford to leave him out there now? 29 min: At what point should Gregg Berhalter consider a sub to shore things up defensively? The answer might need to be “soon.” Panama is crossing the ball into the penalty area at will. Antonee Robinson can only do so much. Goaaaaaal! USA 1-1 Panama (Blackman 26) Just what the USA did not need. Everyone reacted slowly in the middle of the field – in fact, it was left back Antonee Robinson who came over to close things down, but the ball lands at Blackman’s feet, and the defender neatly places it dead straight and just inside the post. There was a VAR check, perhaps to see if Gio Reyna was fouled in the buildup, but it passes without an on-field review. 25 min: A bit of possession for Panama, but an unusually bad touch for Carrasquilla sees the ball sail out of play. Possession stat: Panama leads 62-38. Who would’ve thought? Antonee Robinson raced up the left and got the ball into the penalty area. He runs into traffic, but the ball goes back to the Monaco forward Folarin Balogun, who drills it off the far post. It caroms across and nestles back into the net on the near side. A highlight-reel finish, and a vital one for the USA so soon after going down to 10 men. 20 min: “There’s no controversy about that decision,” says Fox referee expert Joe Machnik. Indeed there isn’t, especially because the ball was nowhere near anyone involved. It’s not as if someone was challenging for the ball and just got a little reckless. The USA go on the attack … Red card to Timothy Weah After a very brief check of the replay, Barton comes back out and, as has happened so often in this tournament, he makes an announcement that no one can hear over the crowd. But he clearly waves off the yellow card and then produces red to Weah, who was already walking off. 15 min: Turner takes the goal kick. The Fox commentators are debating whether it was a yellow card. John Strong notes that Antonee Robinson was right there with Blackman and might have made it difficult for the Panamanian to bail out of the collision. Then we have an off-the-ball foul, and Timothy Weah picks up yellow. Replay shows Weah got the last word in a back-and-forth shove/slap battle, and whether you think it was too hard or not, it’s not a smart play. Especially now that VAR has asked the referee to take another look. 14 min: Turner is up, but the training staff is still working with him. Horvath also has passed through Nottingham Forest. He’s now with Cardiff. 12 min: We have players down, as a cross is played in and Matt Turner collides viciously with Cesar Blackman. Commentator Stu Holden thinks Blackman recklessly charged into Turner, but I don’t think so. He had the right to go for the ball. But the actual impact might be far greater than a card. Backup keeper Ethan Horvath is warming up. 10 min: Free kick to Panama at midfield, and they use it to maintain possession. Until they launch a … shot? From about 50 yards out? Turner has to take a couple of steps back and jump. And then Panama regain possession and play direct again, forcing Turner to race out of the penalty area and clear. Nervy stuff here. Panama have started brightly. 8 min: That was a long check, but from the one (1) view we’ve seen, it seems to be correct. Ream was ahead of everyone when Richards headed the ball on frame. If he hadn’t touched the ball, maybe he could’ve gotten away with it, but he was the one who poked it back to McKennie, so the VAR had no choice. Referee Ivan Barton does what appears to be some tai chi exercises while waiting for the VAR folks to decide on things. Noooooooo goal! USA NOT 1-0 Panama (McKennie 5) Pulisic whips the free kick into the middle of the penalty area, where Richards rises above the crowd. It’s saved off the crossbar and post, and Ream pokes it back to McKennie, who slams it into the net. But was Ream offside? They’re taking a look … 4 min: Joe Scally runs into trouble on the right flank and is fouled as he tries to retreat with the ball. The referee waits to see if advantage materializes. It doesn’t, and we have a free kick. Well done to the referee. And then Scally gets deep down the right flank and is more obviously fouled. Not sure who had “Scally draws two fouls going forward in the first five minutes” in the pool. 2 min: CHANCE for Panama. After a “foul” (not sure Carrasquilla ever decided what body part was supposedly injured), Panama go direct down the left and cross in. It’s partially cleared, and Barcenas tries a bicycle kick that goes just over the bar. The USA also got down the flank and crossed already. Beats watching the Euros, doesn’t it? Speaking of Fox, the commentators note that a lot of streets are closed in Atlanta near the stadium. Some sort of political thing – a couple of guys running for office are arguing? Anyway, PEEP … kickoff. Joe Pearson writes: “Glad to have you back on the Copa MBM. In protest of Fox’s generally dreadful coverage, I am watching on TUDN. Do I speak a lick of Spanish? No, why to you ask?” You’re not alone. But I think we have a good crew tonight. And in some cases, the technical mistakes and the arguments are endearing. The bad news for the USA … The last three matchups against Panama went as follows: Oct. 10, 2021: Panama 1-0 USA, World Cup qualifier March 27, 2022: USA 5-1 Panama, World Cup qualifier July 12, 2023: USA 1-1 Panama (Panama wins 5-4 on PKs), Gold Cup semifinal Now the good omen: The referee in the 5-1 win was Ivan Barton of El Salvador. Guess who’s reffing tonight? USA lineup Unchanged from the opener Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest, England) in goal. Antonee Robinson (Fulham, England), Tim Ream (also Fulham), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace, England) and Joe Scally (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany) across the back. Gio Reyna (Nottingham Forest), Tyler Adams (Bournemouth, England) and Weston McKennie (Juventus, Italy) in midfield. Christian Pulisic (AC Milan, Italy) up front and operating primarily on the left, Timothy Weah (Juventus, Italy) across the field on the front line, and Folarin Balogun (Monaco, France) in the center. McKennie picked up a yellow card in the first game. For comparison purposes, Transfermarkt rates every US starter ahead of the 4m mark aside from Ream, whose value is diminished a bit by the fact that clubs generally don’t spend a lot of money on 36-year-old center backs. Panama lineup I’ll assume everyone here is familiar with the domestic leagues in Guatemala and Azerbaijan, so none of these players should require much of an introduction. The goalkeeper is Orlando Mosquera (Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel). We’re expecting five defenders. Left to right: Eric Davis (FC Košice, Slovakia – briefly with DC United) Edgardo Fariña (Municipal, Guatemala) Jose Cordoba (Levski Sofia, Bulgaria) Roderick Miller (Turan Tovuz, Azerbaijan) Cesar Blackman (Slovan Bratislava, Slovakia), who replaces Jose Luis Rodriguez (also known, Brazilian-style, as “Puma”) in the starting XI. In midfield: Yoel Barcenas (Mazatlan, Mexico) Adalberto Carrasquilla (Houston Dynamo, MLS) Christian Martinez (Al-Jandal, Saudi Arabia) Michael Murillo (Marseille, France) The other change from their 3-1 loss to Uruguay is up front, where Eduardo Guerrero (Zorya Luhansk, Ukraine) replaces Jose Fajardo. Transfermarkt says Carrasquilla is the most valuable player on the team, at €4.5m. Murrillo is at €4m. No player on the roster is based in Panama. Preamble The USA should beat Panama. But Brazil should have beaten Costa Rica. And Mexico should have beaten Venezuela. A loss would leave the USA needing a result against Uruguay. That shouldn’t happen. And I should stop using italics so much. Kickoff in an hour-ish. Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s how the US got on in their opener: On 28 May 2016, Christian Pulisic became the youngest player to score for the US men’s national team, finding the net in a 4-0 win over Bolivia in a tune-up for the Copa América Centenario. But what happened the night before was, in a quieter way, no less notable. Jürgen Klinsmann, then the US head coach, gave Pulisic permission to attend his high school prom in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the night before the match and the 17-year-old hired a private plane so he could make it back to Kansas City in time for the game. That was the abnormal normal of his teenage years: the tension between the shy kid, a Justin Bieber fan who wanted to hang out with friends in a chocolate company town dubbed The Sweetest Place on Earth, and the reality of his work life as a soaring international starlet who travelled by executive jet before he was old enough to drive alone in Germany, where he lived. A universal rite of passage at his high school and a unique feat for his country, in the space of 24 hours.