US Elimination from Copa America Increases Pressure to Fire Berhalter

The United States was eliminated from the Copa America with a 1-0 loss to Uruguay on Mathías Olivera's questionable second-half goal Monday night, a defeat sure to increase pressure on the US Soccer Federation to remove coach Gregg Berhalter before the 2026 World Cup.
Uruguay scored in the 66th minute when Nicolas De La Cruz swung a free kick in front of the US goal. Matt Turner parried a header by Ronald Araújo, who out-jumped defender Tim Ream, but the rebound went right to Mathias Olivera and he tapped the ball in with his left foot, The Associated Press reported.
Olivera appeared to be offside on the initial header but the goal stood after a video review.
Using a lineup of players entirely from European clubs, Berhalter and the US hoped to show the team had advanced since its round-of-16 elimination against the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup. Instead, the US managed only a 2-0 win over lowly Bolivia and were upset 2-1 by Panama, putting it in a tough situation Monday night.
“We had a good start and brought a lot of energy but at the end of the day, just not enough quality,” US captain Christian Pulisic said. “I felt like we gave it everything but we just couldn't score.”
Three minutes before Uruguay scored, the US was in position to advance when Bruno Miranda tied the score for Bolivia against Panama in a game that started simultaneously in Orlando, Florida. But Panama went on to a 3-1 victory and claimed the second spot in Group C behind Uruguay.
Berhalter was rehired in June 2023 and given a contract through the upcoming World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico. But despite a lineup that included Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams, the US failed to even match its last Copa America appearance, when it lost to Argentina in the 2016 semifinals.
During the second half Monday night, the home crowd began chanting, “Fire Gregg.”
The US next plays September friendlies against Canada and New Zealand.
Uruguay played without coach Marcelo Biesla, suspended for sending his team out late for the second half of its first two games. Diego Reyes and Pablo Quiroga were in charge on a mild but humid night in Kansas City.
Berhalter and the Americans knew the difficulty of their situation — Pulisic at one point said they would need to play “the best game of our lives” to advance — and they looked like a team with nothing to lose for most of the first half.
It was one marked by physical play and questionable calls.
Folarin Balogun, who had two goals already in the tournament, bore the brunt of several challenges. He was left calling for help after a collision with Uruguayan goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, then was left rolling on the field after Araújo’s challenge later in the half. Balogun eventually had to leave with a hip pointer and Ricardo Pepi took his place.
Uruguay lost Maximilliano Araújo earlier in the half after a scary collision with Ream near the US goal. He had to be taken off the field on a stretcher, though he was able to move his arms before heading up the tunnel.
In the middle of the chaos was 32-year-old Peruvian referee Kevin Ortega, whose several questionable calls hurt the US.
The first came when Ortega began to pull a yellow card and stop play, then allowed it to continue — while still holding the card — as Uruguay nearly scored on an attack. The second came when the US had a clear advantage after a hand ball on Uruguay, but the Peruvian referee eventually blew his whistle and called the play back for a free kick.
Antonee Robinson called it “amateur hour” but lamented the Americans' failure to rise above the referee.
“The result is on us,” he said, “and we weren't good enough.”
Uruguay started to apply more pressure midway through the second half, then had the Americans in desperation mode after Olivera found the back of the net. And while the US had a few good runs, and a couple of good opportunities in the box, a team that had such big expectations was unable to find the two goals it needed — or even one.
“I mean, now it's just about getting a little bit of rest and regrouping and finding an identity again, and we have some big things ahead,” Pulisic said. “We're going to look forward to that.”

Russia said on Saturday that 10 of its wrestlers who were offered spots at the Paris Olympics as neutrals will refuse to compete.

The Russian wrestling federation said in a statement that its officials, coaches and athletes held a meeting and “came to an unanimous decision — to refuse to participate in the Olympic Games.”

The wrestlers would have been the largest group of Russians in any one sport competing in Paris under the Individual Neutral Athlete program launched by the International Olympic Committee to allow some athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus to compete during the war in Ukraine, The AP reported.

The IOC previously said it invited 10 Russian wrestlers to the Paris Olympics and its website listed nine of them as having agreed to compete, with one who declined.

The IOC didn't immediately respond to a request to comment on Saturday's statement by the Russian wrestling federation, whether it thought the wrestlers had faced any pressure to refuse, and whether it would support any wrestler who might wish to compete against the wishes of the federation.

The federation said it objected to the IOC’s choice of which wrestlers to invite. It said Russians had qualified up to 16 spots for the Paris Olympics, not 10, and that six of those invited were “far from the status of Russian team leaders.” The federation listed the names of top Russian wrestlers who didn’t get invitations and said the Olympic event would now be devalued.

“Any sane person understands that the status of the Olympic Games as the most significant sporting event is being questioned, and wrestling competitions without Russian athletes will be incomplete, and the champions will not receive the satisfaction of winning the Olympic tournament,” the statement said.

The IOC previously said it would only issue invitations to Russian and Belarusian athletes who do not have ties to the security services or military, and who have not publicly supported the war. They would compete in neutral uniforms and would not compete under the national flag.

Some Russian athletes and officials have favored competing at the Paris Olympics under those conditions, and others have called for boycotts. The wrestling federation had sent athletes to take part in qualifying competitions, unlike some other Russian sports bodies.

Last week, the Russian judo federation said its board had decided not to send any athletes to Paris. Its statement didn't specify what its athletes thought.

US Elimination from Copa America Increases Pressure to Fire Berhalter