Analysis: United States responded to adversity after early red card but must play better Monday against Uruguay

With Uruguay on the horizon in the final group game, last night’s fixture against Panama was justifiably billed as a must-win for the United States men’s national team.

Panama sat 32 places behind the U.S. in FIFA’s rankings. An all-top five European league starting XI at his disposal, Gregg Berhalter’s side was heavily favoured to make it two wins from two in the group stages.

But when one of those European stars is sent off the field after just 18 minutes for a shove to the face, there’s little more for the outnumbered crew to do than defend valiantly and execute clinically when chances present themselves. And to their credit, that’s largely what the U.S. did.

The game started very encouragingly from an American perspective. Judging from the game’s early exchanges, the players were encouraged to apply pressure high up the pitch to win possession.

The USMNT midfielders aggressively tried to win the ball to prevent Panama from building up through their defence.

In possession, Berhalter planned to stretch the Panama defence using runners from deep. This helps to create space for the midfield and wide forwards to drop back from the opposition’s last line and get on the ball.

Throughout Berhalter’s tenure as national team head coach, Fulham left-back Antonee Robinson has been one of the most essential players in his system, providing space for the forwards to create. In this case, he is positioned wide left, with right-back Joe Scally taking up a similar role on his wing.

With club team-mate Tim Ream on the ball, Robinson creeps higher towards the Panama defensive line. When Ream plays a square pass to Chris Richards, Robinson darts into the space between the right wing-back and right centre-back, giving Richards a long ball option beyond the Panama defence.

In turn, the Panama defence retreats a couple of yards closer to their goal, allowing more space for the U.S’s midfield operators and Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah, the inside wide forwards, to float into holes between the Panama midfield and defensive lines.

In this case, Richards cuts back and returns the ball to Ream, but it highlights the danger the full-backs create by stretching the opposition.

A couple of minutes later, they had the ball in the opposition’s net.

Pulisic delivered a whipped cross from a free kick onto the penalty spot, where Richards was attacking. Richards, who had got across his marker easily, met the delivery with a powerful header directed towards the top-right corner, but Orlando Mosquera made an impressive save to tip the ball onto the crossbar.

The ball rebounded to Ream, who had attacked the far post, and he tapped a pass back for Weston McKennie, who finished smartly with his left foot. Unfortunately, Ream had strayed slightly offside before Richards made contact with the header, preventing a dream start for the United States, who appeared confident and in control in the first five minutes.

Given Berhalter’s commitment to a high line against weaker sides, having a proactive goalkeeper who can read danger is essential in helping eliminate the threat of passes played in the space behind the defence. Matt Turner did this excellently in the first half.

Shortly after confidently dealing with a weak Richards backpass while under pressure, Turner was outstanding to prevent a promising Panama attack.

In this instance, Panama central defender Jose Cordoba lifts a good pass with his left foot to his captain Eric Davis on the wing.

Davis then knocks the ball over Scally and into the path of Edgar Barcenas, who carries the ball down the line before crossing in the direction of winger Cesar Blackman.

Turner reads the situation perfectly and closes the space before catching the ball under a challenge from Blackman.

Turner, 30, hit the turf hard after the heavy collision and was eventually replaced at half-time, but it was an outstanding example of confident and proactive goalkeeping, allowing his team to play on the front foot.

However, when Weah was sent off for shoving Panama defender Roderick Miller in the back of the head in the 18th minute, it meant the rest of the game would be defined by the United States’ ability to stay diligent, composed and tactically disciplined.

Immediate encouragement arrived four minutes later when Folarin Balogun beautifully curled a left-footed effort into the top corner.

McKennie’s hard running, Robinson’s reading of the game and Balogun’s quality put the USMNT ahead after 22 minutes; the discipline and effort, with a sprinkle of magic, that it takes to pull off a result after going down to 10.

Perhaps this should have prompted Berhalter to change the system. After Weah’s dismissal, he switched to a 4-4-1, with Pulisic positioned high on the left wing and Gio Reyna still fairly central. It was a slight variation from the 4-3-3 he started with.

But Panama exploited this imbalance for the equaliser. After a United States attack broke down in the Panama half, the ball was switched out to the left wing, with the American forwards retreating into the space left vacant by Weah.

Reyna and Tyler Adams made it back to cover Weah’s position, but this left Adalberto Carrasquilla, who plays for Houston Dynamo in MLS, to pick up a position in the middle of the pitch unmarked.

Pulisic is slow to get back on the other side, leaving Panama full-back Michael Murillo in yards of space on the right wing.

The ball reaches Carrasquilla, who carries it a few yards forward. By this time, Robinson had come over to cover the left-back position and mark Murillo, whom Pulisic should have followed. This opened space for Blackman in the right half-space.

Carrasquilla plays it to Blackman, who takes a touch inside and shoots. His initial effort is blocked, but he takes it further left and shoots again with his left, this time an excellently placed attempt into the bottom corner.

Whether this goal was due to Berhalter’s failure to organise effectively, Pulisic’s lack of effort or Turner’s injury is up for debate. But the team were much improved in the second half.

Between Panama’s first goal and the half-time whistle, the USMNT completed just 26 passes. They also struggled to get to grips with Panama’s midfield, which is very capable of retaining possession. After the break, Berhalter changed to a 5-3-1 shape, which proved an antidote to Panama’s threat.

Cameron Carter-Vickers came in at the heart of the back three and marshalled the defence. Johnny Cardoso replaced Adams in midfield and brought physicality and discipline to the base. Ethan Horvath was Turner’s deputy, and while his distribution must improve if Turner misses Monday’s game against Uruguay, the fact the Cardiff City goalkeeper only had to make two saves demonstrated how secure the U.S. were for most of the second period, with Panama resorting to long-distance efforts.

Across the USMNT’s opening two games, the average distance of their opponents’ shots has been 27.2 yards. Only 0.95 expected goals (xG) have been given up.

Further up the pitch, Pulisic was now dogged and determined as one of the midfield three, providing an outlet on the few occasions his side were in possession.

His run in the 69th minute exemplified his quality, skipping past several challenges under pressure before finding Balogun, who came close to providing another moment of brilliance with a shot that curled just wide of the far post from a tough angle. It was a captain’s display from Pulisic – particularly in the second half – who lifted his team by being an example when Panama’s metronomic passing was tiring the American resolve.

With 10 minutes of regular time remaining, the valiant second-half display almost produced an unlikely winner. As with Balogun’s opener, Robinson and McKennie were involved again.

After Cardoso forced a misplaced pass, Robinson carried the ball on the left wing and sent a floating ball to Ricardo Pepi, who had replaced Balogun at the point of attack.

Spotting a potentially fruitful route as a third-man runner beyond the striker, McKennie sprinted down the right wing, collecting a well-placed knockdown.

The Juventus midfielder took the ball down the line and, with Pepi open in the box, he aimed a cross for the No 9’s head.

It was not to be, however, with the cross slightly behind the striker, who could only manage a tame effort that was easily dealt with by Mosquera.

Then, a few minutes later, Panama grabbed the winner.

You could argue Robinson was at fault for allowing Murillo to sneak behind him at the far post and then failing to win the loose ball ahead of Abdiel Ayarza. You could blame Carter-Vickers for being slow to react to Jose Fajardo, who had moved across him in the box, and maybe even criticise Horvath, who could not prevent Fajardo from converting at close range.

But it was a well-executed goal from a Panama perspective, one of the few high-percentage chances they worked all game.

This result leaves the USMNT’s tournament in jeopardy. What they need to do against Uruguay depends on how Panama vs Bolivia plays out, but a win looks necessary. It will not be easy, but neither was the challenge posed after an early red card on Thursday. It was a spirited display that showed fight, determination, and moments of quality–attributes fans have questioned in Berhalter’s side since the World Cup.

Only two sides have played two games at Copa America and allowed 1.0 xG or less – and the United States are one of them. It will take the much-discussed “signature” performance of Berhalter’s tenure to beat Uruguay, but despite the disappointing result, the qualities needed to do it were on show against Panama.