INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Panama officially has the number of U.S. men's national team, as Canalero substitute Cecilio Waterman scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to give Panama a stunning 1-0 win Thursday at SoFi Stadium, thus ending the USMNT's run of three consecutive wins in the Concacaf Nations League.
Combined with last summer's 2-1 triumph in the Copa America, it marked the third straight time Panama had defeated the U.S. in tournament play -- following the 2023 Gold Cup semifinal win on penalties, and the 2024 Copa America group stage -- and it was Mauricio Pochettino's first taste of defeat in a competitive fixture since being confirmed as coach on Sept. 10.
After the match, Pochettino didn't hide his frustration at the U.S. performance, especially in a first half in which he felt the U.S. didn't take enough risks. "I'm disappointed because I think it's not the way that we want to build this journey together and moving forward with the objective to play in the World Cup, with the objective to be competitive," he said.
In many respects, Panama was deserving of its win. Panama was tactically smart, stout in defense, and opportunistic in attack. It wasn't only the most unimaginative performance of Pochettino's early tenure, it was also the worst, with sterile passing throughout. Christian Pulisic's deliveries from set pieces -- the U.S. had nine corners -- was also poor.
Above all, the match also underscored how the creation of quality chances remains the USMNT's primary weakness. This has been the case for years, of course, even with a generational talent such as Pulisic in the U.S. ranks, other players at top clubs, and a top coach (Pochettino) at the helm. But the aforementioned approach used by Panama remains the blueprint for beating the U.S.
Granted, it was just in November that the U.S. looked to be making strides with regard to its attack. The Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal triumph over Jamaica looked as if the Pochettino era had officially achieved lift off. The U.S. looked dynamic and took its chances well over two legs in a 5-2 aggregate win.
Against Panama, the U.S. reverted to form, at least in terms of its offense. The U.S. sent wave after wave of attacks against the Panama defense, most crashing harmlessly against a well-organized 5-4-1 formation. Only Josh Sargent's close-range effort in the 19th minute, blocked by Panama defender Edgardo Fariña, saw the U.S. come close in the first half.
But even as Panama was well-drilled, there were plenty of instances in which the U.S. didn't help itself. Some lackluster touches turned promising attacks into ones that Panama was able to defuse. At other times, the U.S. team's movement was too static.
"Sharpness for sure can be better," said midfielder Tyler Adams, who returned to the U.S. lineup for the first time since last summer's Copa America. "I'm not sitting here to make excuses about anything. We're not jet-lagged. We're not anything: guys play three-game weeks all the time in tough environments in the Premier League, whatever leagues they're playing in respectively and it's tough.
"So yeah, I think we have new ideas in our head, and you can tell we're trying to work through them for sure. But yeah, it needs to be better."
All of this turned Sargent into a spectator for much of the match. The match presented a huge opportunity for the Norwich City striker to show he could repeat his prolific club form -- 12 goals and five assists in 24 games -- at the international level, and convince Pochettino that when the likes of Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi return from injury, it should be Sargent who is put in the starting lineup.
For Sargent, that kind of performance didn't materialize, though suffice it say, the service was lacking. He did put the ball in the net in the 25th minute, but Timothy Weah was judged (correctly) to have been offside in the buildup.
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Sargent was finally pulled in the 68th minute for Patrick Agyemang, and the Charlotte FC striker nearly put the U.S. ahead in the 82nd minute when a through ball from Weston McKennie put him in the clear, but Panama keeper Orlando Mosquera produced a fabulous save low to his left.
The U.S. needed an infusion of creativity from Pochettino's bench; both Gio Reyna and Diego Luna were left sitting as the former Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain coach opted for Jack McGlynn instead. It ultimately didn't work, and the U.S. was made to pay thanks to Waterman's late strike.
Pochettino said he was waiting for extra time to possibly introduce either player. That moment never came, but he hinted both Reyna and Luna might get an opportunity Sunday.
Questions can be asked too of goalkeeper Matt Turner's positioning on the winning goal, being too close to the near post and seemingly unable to spring across and meet the pace on Waterman's low effort. His status seems certain in this time, but a lack of consistent playing time -- Turner has made only four appearances for Crystal Palace in 2024-25, totaling 360 minutes across the FA Cup and Carabao Cup -- contributes to not being able to meet the moment.
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So where does the U.S. go from here? Pochettino hinted at overconfidence.
"We are USA. You cannot win with your shirt, or you cannot win if you play here, there or I don't know," he said, referring to players' clubs. "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."
Adams, meanwhile, added that the passivity of the U.S. attack on this night needed to be addressed.
"I don't know what we've lacked exactly, whether it was that competitive nature, that mentality, but we need to look in the mirror before anything and just realize that when we have these types of games, we can't wait for something to happen," Adams said. "We need to make things happen and put games on our terms."
The U.S. will need to quickly find players with the necessary awareness of the challenges ahead. Up next, it will face either Canada or Mexico -- its fellow World Cup co-hosts -- in Sunday's third-place game, and Pochettino will again be searching for ways to revive a dismal attack.