The Americans fail to get out of group play after a 1-0 defeat on a questionable second-half goal by Mathías Olivera, a loss that will increase pressure on U.S. Soccer to remove Coach Gregg Berhalter before the 2026 World Cup.
The United States was eliminated from the Copa America with a 1-0 loss to Uruguay on a Mathías Olivera’s questionable second-half goal on Monday night, a defeat that will increase pressure on the U.S. Soccer Federation to remove Coach Gregg Berhalter before the 2026 World Cup.
Uruguay scored in the 66th minute when Nicolas De La Cruz swung a free kick in front of the U.S. goal. Matt Turner parried a header by Ronald Araújo, who outjumped defender Tim Ream, but the rebound went right to Mathias Olivera and he tapped the ball in with his left foot.
Olivera appeared to be offside on the initial header but the goal stood after a video review.
Using a lineup of players entirely from European clubs, Berhalter and the U.S. hoped to show the team had advanced since its Round-of-16 elimination against the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup. Instead, the U.S. opened with a 2-0 loss to lowly Bolivia and was upset, 2-1, by Panama.
Three minutes before Uruguay scored, the U.S. was in position to advance when Bruno Miranda tied the score for Bolivia against Panama in a game that started simultaneously in Orlando, Florida.
