The USMNT seems to have undone all the good work by themselves. Lurking at a promising Copa America, a careless mistake by one of its players against Panama has jeopardized the team’s progress and even the coach’s position. The convincing win against Bolivia raised the confidence of the Stars and Stripes, but a loss to the 43rd-ranked Panama is a ‘dark day’ according to a former USMNT legend.

But more importantly, experts say the result against 15-time winners Uruguay on Monday will be even more crucial, potentially sealing Berhalter’s fate. Speaking on Alexi Lalas’ State of the Union Podcast, ex-player Alexi Lalas said that fans are already “ready with their knives,” to hold Berhalter accountable for the game against Panama.

Subsequently, after the game against Uruguay, he further stated, “So those knives are out and ready to plunge if they are not plunging already,” as the coach was already subject to scrutiny by supporters about their performances in recent international tournaments.

The USMNT also had to deal with a few controversies earlier, but their exit from the Gold Cup in 2023 has triggered some apprehension, especially with the World Cup in 2026. With just the Nations League adding up to its portfolio, the team’s supporters are demanding more from them. The outrage among a few fans also called for the manager to be replaced even recently after their 5-1 loss to Colombia apart from the ‘Berhalter Out,’ slogan that took social media a few months ago.

Hence, Lalas then asked another former USMNT icon Clint Dempsey if Greg Berhalter was the right person for the job based on the next game’s result. However, even Dempsey felt that the match against Uruguay at the Arrowhead Stadium could be the turning point and called him out for the strategic mistakes against Panama.

Clint Dempsey points out Berhalter’s shortcomings in the loss of USMNT to Panama

According to experts on the show, there were a few strategic lapses by the coach, apart from a player’s on-field blunder. Dempsey said, “I thought you should have kept a 4-4-1, it looked like we were still in the game in the first half,” citing that the USMNT was still competing despite being down to 10 men. Meanwhile, the winger Tim Weah was shown the way out in the 18th minute by the referee after pushing Panama’s defender deliberately when the ball was away.

But holding Panama to 1-1 till the first half, the coach made three changes at half time, replacing even the goalkeeper Matt Turner and Giovanni Reyna. Subsequently, the lone goalscorer, Folarin Balogun, was also substituted, leaving a lot of doubts about Berhalter’s tactics. Panama finally scored their second goal in the 82nd minute winning 2-0.

Therefore, Uruguay’s might with an impressive 5-0 victory over Bolivia today, could present a significant challenge for the USMNT. However, the team will be determined to put up a fight and hope Bolivia can hold Panama to a draw.