Mauricio Pochettino, USMNT Ripped by Fans After Shocking Nations League Loss to Panama

Panama remains a thorn in the side of the United States men's national team.

Cecilio Waterman's second-half stoppage time goal was the winner, giving Panama a 1-0 win over the USMNT in the semifinals of the Concacaf Nations League.

In recent years, Panama has now defeated the United States at the 2023 Gold Cup semifinals and the 2024 Copa América group stage. The Americans were seeking their fourth straight Nations League title, but instead sputtered out of the competition without mustering so much as a goal against Panama.

It was the sort of result that the United States was expected to move past after the hiring of Mauricio Pochettino, and the response to the loss was one of anger:

On paper, the United States was the better side, holding 66.6 percent of possession, outshooting Panama 12-3 (5-1 on target) and earning nine corners to just three for the visitors.

None of it mattered in the end.

Such a result became the hallmark of the Gregg Berhalter era, but the Poch hiring was seen as a potential turning point for the USMNT. Instead, heading into a World Cup year, enormous questions remain about these Americans.

What was once thought of as a golden generation, led by Christian Pulisic, has become a group with a whole lot to prove. Patience among supporters is wearing perilously thin.