The United States men's national team put itself in dangerous territory following a 2-1 loss to Panama in its second match of Group C play in Copa América. Of course, the result was assisted by forward Tim Weah picking up a costly red card in the 18th minute, taking a player off the pitch.
Panama had possession for the majority of the game and got off 12 shots, including six on goal. USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter, who has been in the position since 2018, has been highly scrutinized, as the country failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and was eliminated in the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup.
What happens if the USMNT fails to advance past the group stage of Copa América?
"I don't think you change just to change, but I think that there is every justification if this US team, in this moment, in 2024, does not make it out of group play, then what the hell are we doing here? If you can't make it out of group play, then, yes, there has to be significant change," host Alexi Lalas said on the latest edition of "Alexi Lalas' State of the Union." "There has to be ramifications for something like that. There has to be a response from the United States soccer federation [because] 2026 is too important. To Gregg Berhalter — and I'm not telling him anything he doesn't know — this is a privilege. This is an honor to coach the US men's national team, and with it comes responsibility, and with it comes a certain level of belief that you are going to do things.
"And that's all that has been talked about for a long time, that we are going to see things that we didn't see before. And if you're not going to be able to get the job done, then we're going to get you out and let's get somebody in there that can get the job done."
Next up for the USMNT is a July 1 matchup against Uruguay, which currently sits atop Group C (9 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app). A win would likely punch the USA's ticket to the Knockout Round, while a loss would likely seal its fate.
The USMNT previously beat Bolivia, 2-0. Folarin Balogun has been the star for the U.S., coming through with two of its three goals this tournament.
As for the upcoming matchup, how can Berhalter replace Weah?
"With Timmy Weah out, I guess you could put [Yunus] Musah in there," Lalas opined. "I had talked about having [Gio] Reyna play out there, and it's kind of in formation only because he can kind of go anywhere. The problem is, a lot of times, that was dependent on having Sergino Dest, who can kind of run an entire sideline. And while [Joe] Scally's growing on me, I don't think that's something that he can do, so Gregg Berhalter's going to have to make some decisions."
Dest has been ruled out of Copa América after tearing his ACL.
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