INGLEWOOD — Setback? Possibly. Sky is falling? Maybe. Much-needed wake-up call? No hope for 2026?
Thursday’s CONCACAF Nations League semifinal loss against Panama has USMNT supporters, players (current and former) and staff sifting through a wide range of emotions
The positive is that the 2026 FIFA World Cup is still 400-plus days away. The current state is still to decided.
For the first time, the USMNT will not be in the finals of the Nations League. Thursday’s 1-0 loss against Panama forces the Americans into the third-place match against Canada on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
It’s a big opportunity for the U.S. to bounce back after the disappointing semifinal.
“We are USA. You cannot win with your shirt,” frustrated coach Mauricio Pochettino said Thursday. “You need to show, and you need to come here and be better and suffer and win the duels and work hard. If not, it’s not going to be enough.”
It certainly wasn’t enough against a determined Panama side. Pochettino described the team’s play as “comfortable” and lacked aggressiveness.
Defender Chris Richards said the team missed “the killer instinct.” Goalkeeper Matt Turner summed it up “the longer we leave them in the game, the more belief they have and the more belief they grow into.”
Midfielder Tyler Adams said: “I don’t think we were as competitive as we needed to be.”
Thursday’s loss might have taken away some of that belief supporters might have had in the U.S. heading into 2026. Without having to go through the ups and downs of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, the U.S., as one of the tournament hosts, is already in the field. The next competition is the summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.
“It’s disappointing, of course,” USMNT star Christian Pulisic said. “We obviously had the ball most of the game, but we just couldn’t create enough. We weren’t dangerous enough. They got one shot at the end and that was the story.”
There is still a lot of work to be done, starting Sunday against a Canada squad that isn’t going to care about the USMNT’s feelings.
A Copa America loss against Panama was the last game for Gregg Berhalter. Pochettino isn’t going to lose his job, but all eyes will be looking on how the team responds.
Canada lost to Mexico 2-0 in the other semifinal Thursday. Jesse Marsch has settled in as coach of the Canadians. He offered a warning before the start of the tournament as to what to expect.
“I’m trying to build an overall DNA for the sport in a the country that is about being aggressive, that is about fearlessness, that is about going after opponents and that will be the case, I don’t care who we play,” he said earlier this week. “We will never be on the back foot. We will always search and seek to be on the front foot and set the tone.”
Canada defeated the U.S. 2-1 in a friendly in September. That was the first win against the USMNT on U.S. soil since 1957.
In the final, Panama and Mexico will meet in the same location of their 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup final. Mexico won that meeting 1-0 on a late goal by Santiago Giménez.
On Thursday, Mexico started Giménez and Raúl Jiménez at forward. Jiménez scored both goals in the 2-0 win against Canada.
Panama coach Thomas Christiansen credited his team’s togetherness in the win against the U.S. and that will likely be needed again.
“I will use the victory to get more strength in my team,” Christiansen said after Thursday’s victory. “More believing that things can happen with good work and commitment. What I can say is that Panama has to be proud of what we have achieved tonight. And of course we will enjoy it for a few hours and then we’ll focus on the final.”
Panama finished in fourth in the 2023 Nations League. This is their first trip to the finals.
CONCACAF Nations League
What: USMNT vs. Canada (third-place, 4 p.m.); Mexico vs. Panama (final, 6:30 p.m.)
When: Sunday
Where: SoFi Stadium
How to watch: Paramount+ (English); TUDN (Spanish)
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