da supremo： It was a disappointing night for the USMNT, as several players faltered to seal a premature Gold Cup exit at the semifinal stage.
da dobrowin： Shootouts are often described as a lottery, even if there is a bit more to it than that. Still, even if you are of the belief that spot-kicks are little more than a coin flip, it's hard to argue that the Soccer Gods got it wrong in Wednesday night's Gold Cup semifinal.
Panama are through and the U.S. men's national team will head home. Through 120 minutes, Los Canaleros were the better team and the shootout only confirmed it. As the USMNT tried their darndest to unsettle their opponents in the shootout, Thomas Christiansen's side held their nerve. Deserved finalists, for sure.
The U.S., meanwhile, crash out, failing to make the Gold Cup final for only the second time in the last 20 years. It's a disappointing end, for sure. Say what you want about the quality of the team fielded at this summer's tournament, but that should've still been enough for the U.S. to look better than this in a game of this magnitude.
They didn't and now they're done. This was a game where few stepped up or stood out as Panama, largely, controlled the match. Not many USMNT players rose to the occasion, although there is a built-in excuse of the 120 minutes played against Canada. That excuse will only carry them so far, though. This was a team that could have – and should have – done more.
GOAL takes a look at the winners and losers from the USMNT's loss to Panama:
GettyLOSER: Matt Miazga
If you're going to talk your talk, the result better go your way. And, even then, there is a fine line between a little bit of gamesmanship and painting yourself as the villain.
Miazga fell into the latter category on Wednesday. After burying his own spot-kick, a fine one it's worth noting, Miazga stayed behind to pester Panama's Cecelio Waterman. It wasn't the typical chirping, either, as the ex-Chelsea defender got right in Waterman's face in an attempt to unbalance him.
If it had worked, maybe we'd be calling Miazga something of a hero, someone that, through gamesmanship, helped his team win. He'd still be vilified by many, no doubt, but some would be totally willing to overlook the act as long as it seals a result.
It didn't. Waterman buried his penalty, Cristian Roldan missed and Panama went on to win from there. Miazga was left with egg on his face.
That came after he was at least partially at fault for Panama's goal, having stepped up just before the pass was made. Overall, a tough night for the FC Cincinnati player, who will retain villain status after this one.
AdvertisementGettyWINNER: James Sands
Few USMNT players will have boosted their stock in this one, but Sands sure did.
The NYCFC midfielder started as the No.6 once again and put in another strong shift. While Djordje Mihailovic and Gianluca Busio, who started next to him, struggled, Sands cleaned up plenty of mess while helping the U.S. save face in a midfield battle they were losing for large stretches.
He had 11 recoveries, won six of his seven duels, had four interceptions and was fouled four times while conceding just one. It was a calm and collected performance in a game that was anything but for the USMNT.
Sands boosted his stock this tournament with a series of good performances and Wednesday night was no exception. The U.S. has a good, young No.6 on the rise.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Brandon Vazquez
He was handed the start as B.J. Callaghan changed up the tactics. It didn't take long, though, to see that Vazquez just didn't have it on Wednesday night.
After scoring three goals in just over 100 minutes in the first four games of the tournament, Vazquez was finally, perhaps belatedly, named to the XI. Jesus Ferreira was as well, as Callaghan shifted things a bit to get his two star strikers on the field.
It didn't work. Vazquez looked nothing like the player that was so dominant off the bench as his touch let him down several times. The striker was so dangerous every time he stepped on the field through the first four matches but, on Wednesday in front of a hometown crowd, he just looked flat.
He was taken off early in the second half as Callaghan seemingly admitted his lineup was wrong. The problem is that, by starting Vazquez, the U.S. didn't really have a go-to goalscorer to bring off the bench as the game moved into extra time.
Not a good night for Vazquez, who should still get more chances in the future despite this blip.
GettyWINNER: Jesus Ferreira
We'll get it out of the way here early. Yes, Ferreira missing his penalty was less than ideal. To be fair, he probably shouldn't have even taken it, considering he was suffering from cramp in the moments leading up to it – the gruelling 120 minutes he'd already played in the quarterfinal win over Canada had clearly taken its toll.
Now that that's out of the way, we can focus on the rest of it, mainly the goal.
His 'Pirate of the Caribbean' nickname will stick with him after this tournament, but Ferreira's best goal came on Wednesday against Panama. Seemingly out of nowhere, Ferreira rocketed home an equalizer in extra time, helping send the U.S. to that ultimately-unsuccessful shootout.
It was a tough game for Ferreira, for sure. Played alongside Vazquez after spending the last few weeks ahead of him in the pecking order, his pressing and energy was relentless. It's no wonder he cramped up late, as he went 120 minutes twice in a matter of days.
His spot in the depth chart will be discussed plenty going forward but, on Wednesday night, Ferreira helped his case yet again.