The U.S. men’s national team had a rough day, but the team isn’t happy with the behavior that followed from certain fans.
U.S. Soccer released a statement after denouncing a series of online racist comments directed at several of its players, pledging to stand firmly against racism and support its players.
The full statement:
The match started badly, with winger sent off via red card for and leaving his teammates in a 10-on-11 situation for much of the match.
The team adopted a defensive 5-3-1 formation from there, but fatigue became an issue as the game went on and ultimately resulted in a tie-breaking Panama goal in the 83rd minute, with the defense looking tired.
The loss leaves the U.S. in an unenviable position with only . Another loss would leave the Americans needing a Bolivia win over Panama and a triumph through goal differential, while a tie would need Bolivia to at least tie against Panama in order to send the U.S. through to the knockout stage.