KANSAS CITY, Missouri — The United States was eliminated from the Copa America on Monday night after a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay, caused by a questionable second-half goal from Mathías Olivera. The defeat will only increase pressure on the U.S. Soccer Federation to fire head coach Gregg Berhalter before the 2026 World Cup.
Uruguay scored in the 66th minute when Nicolas De La Cruz fired a free kick into the U.S. goal. Matt Turner saved a header from Ronald Araújo that deflected off defender Tim Ream, but the rebound went straight to Mathias Olivera, who tapped the ball in with his left leg.
Olivera appeared to be offside on the initial header, but after a video review the goal was allowed.
With a lineup featuring players drawn entirely from European clubs, Berhalter and the U.S. hoped to show the team had come a long way since its round of 16 elimination by the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup. Instead, the U.S. could only beat bottom-ranked Bolivia 2-0 and were defeated 2-1 by Panama, putting it in a tough spot on Monday night.
“We had a good start and brought a lot of energy, but at the end of the day there just wasn’t enough quality,” said US captain Christian Pulisic. “I felt like we gave it everything, but we just couldn’t score.”
Three minutes before Uruguay scored, the U.S. was able to go ahead when Bruno Miranda tied the score for Bolivia against Panama in a match that started simultaneously in Orlando, Florida. But Panama won 3-1 to claim second place in Group C behind Uruguay.
Berhalter was rehired in June 2023 and given a contract through the upcoming World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico. But despite a lineup that included Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams, the U.S. failed to even match their last Copa America appearance, when they lost to Argentina in the 2016 quarterfinals.
On Monday night during the second half, the home crowd began chanting, “Fire Gregg.”
The US will play friendlies against Canada and New Zealand in September.
Uruguay played without coach Marcelo Biesla, who was suspended for sending his team off too late for the second half of the first two games. Diego Reyes and Pablo Quiroga were in charge on a mild but humid night in Kansas City.
Berhalter and the Americans knew how dire their situation was – Pulisic at one point said they had to play “the best game of their lives” to advance – and they looked like a team with nothing to lose for much of the first half.
It was a match with a lot of physical play and questionable decisions.
Folarin Balogun, who had already scored two goals in the tournament, was subjected to several challenges. He was forced to call for help after colliding with Uruguayan goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, and was then left rolling on the pitch after Araújo’s challenge later in the half. Balogun was eventually sent off with a hip pointer, with Ricardo Pepi taking his place.
Uruguay lost Maximilliano Araújo earlier in the half after a terrifying collision with Ream in the US goal. He had to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher, but was able to move his arms before entering the tunnel.
Amid the chaos was 32-year-old Peruvian referee Kevin Ortega, whose several questionable calls hurt the U.S.
The first came when Ortega started to show a yellow card and stop play, then let it continue — still holding the card — as Uruguay nearly scored on an attack. The second came when the US had a clear advantage after a handball on Uruguay, but the Peruvian referee eventually blew his whistle and called play back for a free kick.
Antonee Robinson called it an “amateur hour” but lamented the Americans’ failure to rise above the referee.
“The result is our fault,” he said, “and we weren’t good enough.”
Uruguay began to press harder midway through the second half, and the Americans went into desperation mode after Olivera found the net. And while the U.S. had a few good runs and a few good chances in the box, a team with such high expectations couldn’t get the two goals it needed — or even one.
“I mean, right now it’s just about getting a little bit of rest and regrouping and finding an identity again, and we’ve got some big things coming up,” Pulisic said. “We’re looking forward to that.”
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AP Copa America coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/copa-americ
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AP Copa America coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/copa-america