INGLEWOOD, Calif. — In a dramatic finish, Panama overcame the United States to secure a spot in the CONCACAF Nations League final with a 1-0 victory, thanks to Cecilio Waterman’s thrilling goal deep into injury time.
Waterman latched onto a pass from Adalberto Carrasquilla on the right, expertly bypassing the densely packed U.S. defense, and delivered a precise right-footed shot that sailed past Matt Turner into the far left corner of the net. It was Waterman’s 11th goal in international play and notably, Panama’s only shot on target during the game, propelling them to Sunday’s final against Mexico.
Reflecting on the moment, Waterman expressed, “While many good things have happened in my career, this moment stands out as truly incredible.” The 33-year-old forward, who plies his trade in Chile, celebrated wildly by removing his jersey and vaulting over the advertising boards before leaping onto a broadcast stage to celebrate with Thierry Henry, who was visibly surprised by the achievement. “You are my idol!” Waterman shouted in Spanish towards Henry, the Arsenal legend, as they embraced.
This victory marked Panama’s third consecutive competitive win over the U.S., following triumphs in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal and the previous year’s Copa America group stage. Under coach Thomas Christiansen, Panama has consistently outperformed expectations, with this win being another feather in their cap, coming after a successful away match against Costa Rica in the Nations League quarterfinals last November. “This is the third time we’ve been in this position,” Waterman remarked. “Now, we want to gift Panama with something monumental, for our people, and all of Central America.”
For the U.S., the defeat at a less-than-full SoFi Stadium was a setback for coach Mauricio Pochettino. He took over from Gregg Berhalter six months ago after the U.S. was eliminated in the first round of the Copa America, and he emphasized the importance of improvement ahead of the World Cup, with only limited training camps remaining. “I’m very disappointed,” Pochettino admitted. “I don’t think our approach was the right one. We played too slowly in the first half, lacked aggression with the ball, which also affected our defensive game.”
Despite the absence of injured players, Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson, the U.S. came close to equalizing in extended injury time, when Tyler Adams narrowly missed the target from outside the penalty area after a Christian Pulisic cross. This marked Adams’ return to international duty post-back surgery.
Panama’s victory adds to their impressive record at the same venue where they previously lost the 2023 Gold Cup final to Mexico by a late goal from Santi Giménez. In that tournament, Panama also pulled off a surprise penalty shootout win over the U.S. in the semifinals. “Our players delivered a great performance,” Christiansen noted. “Beating the U.S. demands tactical discipline, order, and a stroke of luck, which was on our side today.”
This marks the first time the CONCACAF Nations League trophy will not remain with the U.S., as they had captured the first three editions since the tournament’s inception in 2019.
During the first half, U.S. attackers had several opportunities, but they failed to capitalize. Josh Sargent struck a post in the 19th minute, and Weston McKennie’s header shortly afterward was directed straight at the keeper. In the 24th minute, Sargent found the net, but the goal was disallowed for offside just moments before.
Remarkably, Sargent has not scored for the U.S. national team in over five years.