Nations League: Panama stuns U.S. with stoppage-time winner, Mexico beats Canada to reach final

United States' CONCACAF Nations League reign ends with stunning 1-0 loss to Panama, setting up Mexico-Panama final.

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 (March 21, 2025) in Inglewood, California.

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 late in stoppage time.

Up next for Panama in Sunday's final will be Mexico, who beat Canada 2-0 in California.

Raul Jimenez fired home from the centre of the box inside the first minute before sealing the win in the 75th minute from a free kick after Stephen Eustaquio fouled Santiago Gimenez.

For the U.S., their latest loss to Panama is a massive blow as their only chance to collect silverware before co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada now rests with the June 14-July 6 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The U.S. came into the game hoping to avenge a loss to Panama at last year's Copa America where the hosts failed to reach the knockout stage, a humiliating result that led to the firing of head coach Gregg Berhalter.

After a somewhat tentative start on Thursday the U.S. enjoyed a brief stretch where they threatened Panama, nearly scoring twice while another chance was squandered by an offside call just past the midway mark of a scoreless first half.