USMNT, down a player after Timothy Weah red card, falls to Panama in shocking Copa América match

Tom Rinaldi details how players like Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna are determined to change the image of U.S. soccer. 

The United States men’s national soccer team, down a man after Timothy Weah’s early red card in the first half, couldn’t hold off constant pressure Thursday from Panama, which captured a 2-1 win in a Copa América group stage match. 

The USMNT was searching for another victory in the group stage after taking down Bolivia Sunday. A U.S. win would have made Monday’s matchup against Uruguay meaningless because six points would have advanced the U.S. to the knockout stage. 

The match against Panama turned chippy, and it started with Weah. 

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Tim Weah of the U.S. reacts after being ejected during a Copa América USA 2024 Group C match against Panama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

The veteran U.S. forward was issued a red card in the 18th minute after shoving a Panamanian player in the back of the head, resulting in an automatic ejection. 

Though he was initially given a yellow card, a referee pocketed the yellow and took out the red with Weah already walking off the field. From there, the USMNT was down a player, and Panama took advantage. 

USMNT'S TIMOTHY WEAH ISSUED RED CARD AFTER STRIKING PANAMA PLAYER IN HEAD

The U.S. got on the board first when Folarin Balogun scored his second goal of this Copa América tournament with a left boot off the right post in the 22nd minute. But Panama answered four minutes later, when Cesar Blackman scored his first career international goal with a left-footed drive past the reach of keeper Matt Turner. 

Turner eventually took a seat on the USMNT bench after a