Panama upsets US in penalties to advance to CONCACAF Gold Cup Final

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After winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup with its junior varsity two years ago, the United States failed to repeat.

Adalberto Carrasquilla converted the decisive penalty kick after Cristian Roldan was stopped in his attempt, and Panama beat the Americans 5-4 in a shootout following a 1-1 tie on Wednesday night to reach the CONCACAF Gold Cup final against Mexico.

"There’s a lot of learning lessons that we’re all going to take away as we now continue our preparation to the path of 2026," U.S. interim coach B.J. Callaghan said, looking ahead to the Americans co-hosting the World Cup.

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Players celebrate after defeating the United States in a CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal soccer match Wednesday, July 12, 2023, in San Diego. Panama won 5-4 in a shootout after a 1-1 tie.  (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

"You had some older senior guys that had experience that we challenged to take on more leadership roles, mentorship roles, and that came out," Callaghan said. "And then we had a group of young players, whether they are U-20 — had played at the U-20 — or Olympic age, and all striving to become part of that roster in 2026."

Iván Anderson put No. 57 Panama ahead in the ninth minute of extra time with his first international goal, and Jesús Ferreira tied the score six minutes later for the 11th-ranked U.S.

Panama reached the final for the third time after losing to the U.S. in 2005 and 2013. Panama will play Mexico, an eight-time champion, on Sunday at Inglewood, California.

The U.S., a seven-time winner of the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean, failed to reach the final for the