Cecilio Waterman scored a stoppage-time winner as Panama stunned the three-time defending champion United States 1-0 to book a place in the Concacaf Nations League final on Thursday.
In a shock result that came in Mauricio Pochettino‘s first competitive match in charge of the United States, Waterman slammed home a low angled finish in the fourth minute of stoppage time to send the holders crashing out at a half-empty SoFi Stadium.
The result sends Panama into Sunday’s final, where they will face either Mexico or Canada, who play in Thursday’s other semifinal.
But the defeat sends Pochettino back to the drawing board after a performance the Argentine described afterwards as “really painful.”
“I am very, very disappointed,” Pochettino said. “I could see that the way we approached the game and start wasn’t in the right way. We didn’t show aggression with the ball, we didn’t show aggression in a defensive way … the first half was really painful.”
Despite dominating possession, the U.S. struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods.
Norwich striker Josh Sargent came closest to breaking the deadlock early on, his 19th-minute shot being deflected towards goal by Panama central defender Edgardo Farina.
The US failed to make the most of another opening two minutes later, Tim Weah picking out Weston McKennie with a curling cross to the back post only for the Juventus midfielder’s header to be well-saved by Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera.
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