USMNT Eliminated from Gold Cup Semifinals on Penalties

Published by John Ford July 13, 2023 Categorie(s): News, Online Gambling, Soccer, Sports Betting

In a surprising turn of events, the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) has been eliminated from the Gold Cup in the semifinals, marking the first time since 2015 that they will not be competing in the final. The team fell to Panama in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in regular time.

The USMNT was forced to endure extra time and a penalty shootout for the second time in just three days, a grueling schedule that seemed to take its toll on the players. Jesus Ferreira’s 105th-minute goal lowered the game, nullifying Ian Anderson’s earlier goal for Panama. However, these late-game heroics were not enough to secure a victory for the US.

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The USMNT, under the guidance of interim head coach BJ Callaghan, had been relying on a backup roster after the starters had fulfilled their national team duties in the Nations League a few weeks prior. Despite a lackluster performance in the quarterfinals against Canada, the team managed to scrape through thanks to goalkeeper Matt Turner’s heroics in the penalty shootout. Unfortunately, they were not able to repeat this feat against Panama.

During the decisive penalty shootout, Turner saved one attempt from Christian Martinez. However, both Jesus Ferreira and Christian Roldan had their shots blocked by Panama’s goalkeeper, Orlando Mosquera, sealing the victory for Panama.

This win propels Panama into the Gold Cup final for the first time since 2005, giving them a chance to win the CONCACAF tournament for the first time in their history.

The USMNT lineup included Ferreira, Vazquez (subbed in for J. Morris in the 73rd minute), and Cowell (subbed in for Roldan in the 63rd minute).

In the post-match analysis, it was clear that the USMNT did not perform well enough to advance to the Gold Cup final. While the USMNT had outperformed Canada in their quarterfinal match, they struggled to dominate any aspect of the game against Panama.

Even when the USMNT began to control parts of the game in the second half, their execution in the attacking third was disappointing. By the time Ferreira scored his equalizing goal, Panama had already done significant damage. Despite having the most possession of any team in the Gold Cup, the USMNT’s performance fell short of expectations.