TAMPA, Fla. — The U.S. National Team was reeling Sunday from a shock 2-1 defeat to Panama, the country’s first loss in the Gold Cup’s group play, which heightened pressure on coach Bob Bradley.
The Central Americans achieved the historic result with two first-half goals Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., which saw them into the quarter-finals.
Clarence Goodson’s 66th-minute header brought the U.S. back into the game, but the team could not conjure an equalizer as Clint Dempsey, Chris Wondolowski and Michael Bradley failed to hit the target despite good chances.
Midfielder Landon Donovan said the team paid for a poor start.
“We were a little flat, and they came ready to play,” the LA Galaxy star told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s a good learning lesson. We just can’t start games like that. Teams are getting better and better in CONCACAF, and we learned a hard lesson tonight [Saturday].”
The U.S. was set to face Guadeloupe in its final Group C game Tuesday in Kansas City, Kan.
Anything less than a victory would likely be fatal for Bradley’s chances of seeing out the four-year contract extension he was handed last August.
