INGLEWOOD (California): The United States’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday.

In a shock result that came in Mauricio Pochettino’s first competitive match in charge of the United States, Panama spent the bulk of the match defending but pounced on a giveaway by the Americans before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner in the fourth minute of stoppage time to send the holders crashing out at a half-empty SoFi Stadium.

The result sends Panama into Sunday’s final, where they will face Mexico, who completed a clinical 2-0 victory over Canada thanks to Fulham forward Raul Jimenez’s brace in Thursday’s other semi-final.

Jimenez fired Mexico into the lead in the first minute, bundling home a low finish after a defensive scramble on the edge of the penalty area, and then curled in a 75th-minute free-kick to seal victory for “El Tri”.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2025