The CONCACAF Nations League will have a winner not named the United States for the first time in its history, as Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT suffered through a wasteful, late 1-0 loss to Panama on Thursday in Carson, California.
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Cecilio Waterman’s stoppage-time finish was Panama’s only shot on target, beating Matt Turner to seal a place on the final.
The Yanks out-attempted Panama 12-3 and had 66% of the ball but struggled to do anything with the final ball as stars Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie had off days.
What’s next?
Panama will play the winner of Canada vs Mexico in Sunday’s final, while the Yanks will play the loser in the third-place game.
How to watch USMNT vs Panama live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 7 pm ET, Thursday
Venue: SoFi Stadium — Los Angeles
Streaming: Paramount+
USMNT vs Panama final score: 0-1
Cecilio Waterman 90+5'
USMNT vs Panama live updates — By Nick Mendola
Full time — USMNT 0-1 Panama
Cecilio Waterman goal — USMNT 0-1 Panama (90+5')
CBS broadcaster Thierry Henry is under siege on the sidelines as Cecilio Waterman has scored, ripped off his shirt, and leapt onto the broadcast set to celebrate.
It’s bad from the Yanks. A Pulisic back pass helps cue up the chance, but a comedy of indecision from the Yanks’ midfield and back line allows Waterman a look at goal.
His low, dragged shot from the back corner of the 18 is in Matt Turner’s line of vision but it beats him inside the far post. He has to do better, but that’s the story of this game.
CECILIO WATERMAN AT THE DEATH🔥
— Golazo America (@GolazoAmerica) March 21, 2025
PANAMA ARE HEADED TO THE CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE FINAL 🇵🇦 pic.twitter.com/3mKdPR668Y
Panama subs
Christian Martinez, probably Panama’s best player on the day, will leave the game in the first minute of second-half stoppage. Jose Luis Rodriguez also sees his day end prior to the end of regulation.
Janpol Morales and Ismael Diaz enter the fray.
Agyemang denied!
McKennie awakes from a disappointing day with the ball to send Agyemang toward the box and the Rhode Island graduate muscles a defender before trying to roll the ball beyond the reach of a fully-extended Mosquera.
The keeper gets a piece of it, a fine save, and Pulisic doesn’t have room to snap the rebound toward goal.
0-0, 83'.
More subs
Richards was injured in an aerial duel and is also on a yellow card, so Pochettino may be playing it doubly safe in bringing on Mark McKenzie for the Palace man.
Panama make a move as well, bringing on Ivan Anderson for Cesar Blackmon with the match scoreless into the last 10 minutes of regulation.
Panama sub
Fajardo, a busy bee on the night, exits for Cecilio Waterman.
0-0, 71'.
USMNT subs
Patrick Agyemang and Jack McGlynn enter for Josh Sargent and Tanner Tessmann.
Sargent was isolated but good and active. His finish on the offside goal was solid. Tessman exits the game one behind Ream (10) for the most passes into the final third.
Maybe time for a fullback?
Musah hasn’t been bad but McKennie isn’t at his best and Pochettino has a true fullback on the bench in Marlon Fossey.
Maybe pull out McKennie and give Musah some time in the heart of it all?
Americans need 1v1 wins on the flanks
The press is lively and possession good — Adams continues to thrive in the midfield — but the Yanks need to get their service into dangerous spaces.
Marlon Fossey could get a run at fullback off the bench, while Giovanni Reyna will be foaming at the mouth to deliver incisive play. Diego Luna is also a 1v1 winner on the bench.
The front foot belongs to the Yanks
Numbers are forward for the Yanks out of the halftime break, and they’ve doing a better job breaking the Panamanian press.
Panama still blocking crosses and shots, but the movement is promising as we enter the 50th minute.
Halftime — USMNT 0-0 Panama
The semifinal remains up for grabs despite the hosts registering the top-five players for touches (Tim Ream, Richards, Adams, Scally, and Musah).
Musah and Adams have been the stars of the show, and Sargent has an offside goal plus a shot deflected off the post. Ream is having a nice game with the ball at his feet, furthering his return to form in a national team shirt after a rough patch in the summer and fall.
There have been just four shot attempts — three to the Yanks — in the game with 60% of the ball in the Yanks possession.
Richards stops Panama counter
Weah loses the ball in a challenge with Thomas Harvey, and Panama go down the right side.
Richards blocks a desperation shot from Jose Fajardo, out for a throw-in.
Josh Sargent offside goal
Weah races onto a long ball. His cross is blocked onto the path of Sargent, who hammers home low from 10 yards.
The flag goes up, and VAR backs the call on the field.
Sargent off the post, McKennie saved
Oh that was nearly an opener and Josh Sargent thought it was in the goal!
Sargent’s low bid to put McKennie’s cutback home spun off the post thanks to a deflection off the calf of Panama defender Edgardo Farina.
Now Timothy Weah crosses from the left and McKennie nods into the arms of a waiting Mosquera at the back post
Panama’s found a foothold
Los Canaleros have found their way into the game, thanks in large part to some mistakes by the Yanks.
Timothy Weah’s dribbled into trouble for a turnover and Weston McKennie’s later sloppy touch led to Panama danger.
Tyler Adams bails out Chris Richards
Crystal Palace back Chris Richards is caught unaware by the hard press of blonde-scalped Christian Martinez, and Tyler Adams has to race into the box and well-time a tackle to limit the damage to a corner.
The Yanks had been on the front foot up to that point. 0-0, 10'.
Update
Looks like Musah is at right back and Weah at right wing. Kickoff moments away.
Team news
It looks like Timothy Weah drops to right back with Joe Scally swapping the right for left back as Antonee Robinson remained back in Fulham to rest an ongoing injury.
There are four center midfielders out there, but we’d bet on Tanner Tessmann and Tyler Adams manning the middle of the park (unless Adams is at right back and Weah at right wing). Yunus Musah and Weston McKennie have also played outside back for their clubs in the past season or so, so there’s a lot to unpack at kickoff.
Panama’s team has several members from the team that beat the USMNT in the Copa America. Many said another manager other than Gregg Berhalter could’ve gotten more out of the game even accounting for Weah’s red card. Let’s see if Mauricio Pochettino can deliver that.
USMNT lineup
Turner, Scally, Ream, Richards, Weah, Tessmann, Adams, Musah, McKennie, Pulisic, Sargent
Panama lineup
Mosquera, Blackman, Farina, Cordoba, Gutierrez, Martinez, Rodriguez, Carrasquilla, Godoy, Harvey, Fajardo
USMNT vs Panama preview — By Andy Edwards
Under previous head coach Gregg Berhalter, the USMNT won three straight Nations League titles (2021, 2023 and 2024), now the onus is on Mauricio Pochettino to continue that continental dominance just 15 months ahead of the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
USMNT start and captain Christian Pulisic has scored three times in Nations League semifinals and finals appearance, including the extra-time winner (from the penalty spot) in the inaugural tournament, and midfielder Gio Reyna has scored twice in finals (2021 and 2024). Pulisic is in perhaps the best form of his entire career, with 15 goals and 8 assists for AC Milan this season (all competitions), including three goals in his last two Serie A games before the international break. Reyna, on the other hand, has made just three starts (13 appearances) for Borussia Dortmund in 2025 (1 goal, 1 assist), but the 22-year-old has consistently shown up and shown out for the national team even during some of the worst periods of his club career.
Pochettino was dealt a bit of a blown on Tuesday, however, as stalwart left back Antonee Robinson withdrew from the squad after playing 90 minutes in Fulham’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Fellow defender Auston Trusty (Celtic) and midfielder Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis) are also out after being named to the 23-man squad initially. Defender Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), midfielder Brian Gutierrez (Chicago Fire) and forward Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo) have been called in to replace them.
While the Americans have been historically dominant in this matchup (19W-4D-5L), the Yanks have lost two of their last three and three of their last five against Los Canaleros. The USMNT was, however, victorious in the most recent matchup — Pochettino’s debut (a friendly) in Austin last October, thanks to goals scored by Yunus Musah and Ricardo Pepi. The USMNT beat Jamaica 5-2 over two legs (4-2 in their home leg, in St. Louis in November) to reach Thursday’s semifinal, while Panama topped Costa Rica 1-0 away and advanced with a 2-2 draw in the second leg at home.
USMNT team news, injuries
OUT: Antonee Robinson (undisclosed), Ricardo Pepi (knee), Folarin Balogun (shoulder), Johnny Cardoso (undisclosed), Auston Trusty (undisclosed), Malik Tillman (ankle)
USMNT vs Panama prediction
Being without Robinson and Sergino Dest at the same time is hardly ideal, even with Joe Scally’s ability to play on either side, so it will be interesting to see who gets the start (and where). The attacking talent at hand is crying out to counter-attack all night long, but Panama will hardly be adventurous and expose themselves at the back, so this could be yet another game for Reyna to impact (and win) off the bench. USMNT 1-0 Panama.
