USA dumped out of Copa America! Woeful 1-0 defeat to Uruguay seals group-stage exit and ramps up calls for Gregg Berhalter to be FIRED

A day of reckoning for Gregg Berhalter and his American team began with torrential rain and flash flood warnings in Kansas City. As kickoff approached, a sea of ​​gray clouds slowly parted to make way for glorious sunshine.

Ultimately, hopes that this dramatic turn of events would herald a revival in the fortunes of Berhalter and his team proved to be misplaced. A 1-0 defeat to Uruguay in their final group match at the Copa America saw them retire at the first setback.

What should have been the springboard to catapulting the country’s confidence and belief in its soccer team to a World Cup on home soil in two years’ time has ended in disaster. The U.S. will no longer participate in this sporting festival on home soil, with a 2-1 win for Panama over Bolivia in the other crucial Group C match confirming that they will enter the knockout stages at the expense of the hosts.

Here, in front of 55,460 fans from the US and Uruguay, Mathias Olivera secured a 66th-minute clean sweep for Marcelo Bielsa’s impressive visitors in the group stage, winning three games from three, despite the iconic head coach being unable to witness it with his own eyes due to a sideline suspension.

Fans made their feelings clear from the stands about Gregg Berhalter’s future

The first 10 minutes in Kansas City were slow and cautious as both teams got used to the uneven playing surface. However, as the first half progressed, it was USA that slowly got going and began to entertain the boisterous crowd at Arrowhead.

They had their first chance in the 13th minute when Giovani Reyna was cleared by Weston McKennie on the left side of the penalty area, but Sergio Rochet came down and saved the ball in front of goal.

With a win almost certainly needed to progress here tonight, Berhalter’s men burst out of the blocks with the urgency of a team fighting for their lives. Against a hitherto ferocious Uruguayan team threatening to go all the way and end their 13-year wait for another title, they were the ones in control.

But despite all the energy, despite all the will to make something happen, the US had still not managed to really test Rochet, despite their encouraging start. And to inject the first dose of fear of the evening, the dreaded news trickled in from Orlando. Panama had taken the lead against Bolivia, and as it was, the hosts were packing up.

Almost as if aware of the other crucial score of the night, the USA suddenly fell silent. Jose Fajardo’s opening goal in Florida seemed to dampen the mood on the field and in the stands. Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde began to dictate the play, along with Flamengo’s dangerous Nicolas De La Cruz. Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez looked good but, as always, missed the final product.

Controversial refereeing decisions proved to be the main talking point in last week’s shock defeat to Panama. And tonight, Peruvian referee Kevin Ortega did little to calm a fiery mob in Kansas City, making a series of questionable decisions against the hosts.

Mathias Olivera scored the winning goal for Uruguay in the final phase

None were stranger than when he inexplicably let Nunez take a short free kick in the 32nd minute and put the USA to sleep, while simultaneously issuing a yellow card to Chris Richards for a foul on De La Cruz. To spare him the blushes and further American outrage, Tim Ream thankfully ran back and made a crucial block to deny Nahitan Nandez.

A bubbling atmosphere then reached boiling point 10 minutes later, again the result of a confusing refereeing decision. As Uruguay continued to press for an opening goal, a Richards clearance appeared to catch Manuel Ugarte’s hand.

The ball fell to Pulisic halfway into the USA half, who made a sharp turn to get past his man and seemingly spark a counterattack. At that point, Ortega decided to blow the whistle for a handball on Ugarte, refusing to play what seemed like a clear advantage.

Moments earlier, Berhalter had been dealt a huge blow when striker Folarin Balogun was forced off injured, with Ricardo Pepi coming on in his place. Earlier in the evening, Balogun had committed a heavy foul on Ronald Araujo that went unpunished, and it had taken its toll on the 22-year-old before the half-time whistle sounded.

Gregg Berhalter is under pressure after his team crashed out at the very first hurdle

After the break, it quickly became clear that Uruguay were the team on the rise. Bielsa may not have been there to galvanise them at half-time, but in the first 10 minutes of the second half, the visitors came close with a series of near misses. Valverde, now well into his rhythm, fired a rocket from distance that went wide.

As hope seemed to fade, as the US began to look like a team that had run out of ideas as well as stamina, more news came from Orlando. This time it brought the American contingent at Arrowhead back to life.

Bolivia, so far without a goal in this tournament, had outdone Berhalter and co. by drawing with Panama and dramatically changing the story in Group C. Or so it seemed.

Because a second later, as the hopeful cries of ‘USA, USA’ echoed through the four walls of this famous stadium, Uruguay burst out of its dream and turned the script on its head once again.

De La Cruz first hit a free kick from the right and Ronald Araujo got his head on it, forcing Turner to make a save. The ball fell to substitute Olivera, who fired it in from close range to break the deadlock and the hearts of the Americans.

A lengthy VAR check followed, but the conclusion was that Olivera was offside by the narrowest of margins and the goal was allowed.

And to put the final nail in the coffin, Panama restored its lead in Florida moments later, bringing the tournament to an abrupt end for the US.