The United States men’s national soccer team, down a man after Timothy Weah’s early red card in the first half, couldn’t hold off constant pressure Thursday from Panama, which captured a 2-1 win in a Copa América group stage match. 

The USMNT was searching for another victory in the group stage after taking down Bolivia Sunday. A U.S. win would have made Monday’s matchup against Uruguay meaningless because six points would have advanced the U.S. to the knockout stage. 

The match against Panama turned chippy, and it started with Weah. 

The veteran U.S. forward was issued a red card in the 18th minute after shoving a Panamanian player in the back of the head, resulting in an automatic ejection. 

Though he was initially given a yellow card, a referee pocketed the yellow and took out the red with Weah already walking off the field. From there, the USMNT was down a player, and Panama took advantage. 

USMNT’S TIMOTHY WEAH ISSUED RED CARD AFTER STRIKING PANAMA PLAYER IN HEAD

The U.S. got on the board first when Folarin Balogun scored his second goal of this Copa América tournament with a left boot off the right post in the 22nd minute. But Panama answered four minutes later, when Cesar Blackman scored his first career international goal with a left-footed drive past the reach of keeper Matt Turner. 

Turner eventually took a seat on the USMNT bench after a nasty collision in the first half resulted in a leg injury. Turner finished the first half, but Ethan Horvath replaced him in the second. 

Players from Panama celebrate after winning a Copa América USA 2024 Group C match against the United States at Mercedes-Benz Stadium June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Panama used its one-man man advantage to send a constant attack at the U.S. Defense was key, and the U.S. switched to a five-man backfield with three midfielders and one forward. But Panama finally broke through with some patience in the 83rd minute. 

After Ricardo Pepi failed to convert a Weston McKennie cross one minute earlier to give the U.S. a lead, Panama’s José Fajardo redirected a pinball cross past Horvath, and Panama’s bench rushed the field to celebrate the score. 

With the U.S. entering desperation mode, the game turned ugly. Panama’s Adalberto Carrasquilla was issued a red card after sweeping Christian Pulisic’s legs, which led to a bit of a scuffle. 

With the sides even at 10 players, the U.S. had a few set pieces to work with, but it failed to convert. 

Weston McKennie of the U.S. looks dejected after losing a Copa América USA 2024 Group C match against Panama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

When the final whistle blew, Panama had won its third match over the U.S. in its history. 

The U.S. now heads into Monday’s match against Uruguay, the winner of 15 Copa América tournaments, needing a victory to make it out of the group stage. 

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He shed the bulky knee brace strapped around his right leg, stuck his vault cold to open one of the biggest competitions of his life, and Brody Malone still didn’t crack a smile as he scurried off the mats at Target Center on Thursday.

Malone’s mission is far from done.

In second place after the first day of Olympic trials, the three-time U.S. champion is in a strong position to earn his second Olympic team berth with 85.100 points in the all-around. He trails 2023 world all-around bronze medalist Frederick Richard, who surged into the top spot in the final two rotations and finished with an 85.600.

The top all-around finisher locks in a coveted Olympic berth on the five-man team that will be announced Saturday (2 p.m. PDT, NBC). Malone, third-place finisher Shane Wiskus (84.300 points) and Yul Moldauer, who is tied for fifth (83.700), are vying for their second Olympic berths.

An encore Olympic performance seemed improbable for Malone when he was on an operating table in Germany in March 2023.

Competing in the event finals at the DTB Pokal Team Challenge, Malone peeled off the high bar on his dismount and mangled his right knee. He was rushed to surgery, one of three procedures he needed to repair ligament tears, cartilage damage and a fractured tibial plateau. Brett McClure, USA Gymnastics men’s high performance director, was on the floor in the arena and didn’t think he would see Malone perform again.

Then the former Stanford star won his third U.S. championship this month in his first all-around performance in 17 months.

“Absolutely incredible,” McClure told reporters Wednesday. “It’s mind-blowing. Obviously from my position, high performance director, I want to just see him safely get through Olympic trials. That’s not good enough for him. He wants to go out there and win.”

Malone started with a triumphant vault in the first rotation, sticking his routine while competing without his knee brace for the first time. The brace is designed to push the joint inward while on floor and vault to reduce pain. But it was pushing against his shin and affecting his run. Competing without it marked another major milestone in his comeback.

“Sticking it was the cherry on top, for sure,” Malone said, finally smiling.

Malone’s only misstep came on pommel horse when he nearly slipped off the apparatus, but he muscled through the traveling element to stay on as the crowd exhaled. The slip-up allowed Richard and Asher Hong to jump briefly into a tie for first place over Malone, passing the veteran by just five-hundreths of a point after four rotations.

Brody Malone competes on the still rings at the U.S. Olympic trials on Thursday.

(Abbie Parr / Associated Press)

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Hong, who won the all-around national championship in 2023 during Malone’s absence, bounced back from a 10th-place finish at the U.S. championship to finish Day 1 tied with 2023 world championships teammate Moldauer in fifth place (83.700). Moldauer slipped off the pommel horse in his opening routine but rallied with the night’s second-best parallel bars score of 15.150.

Stanford star Khoi Young, who won silver medals on vault and pommel horse at the world championships — a breakthrough event for the U.S. men, who claimed the bronze team medal — struggled on high bar and pommel horse and slipped to 12th.

The mistakes were uncharacteristic for the 21-year-old, who was the first American man to win multiple event medals at a world championships since 1979. Stanford coach Thom Glielmi said he’s never seen Young make those mistakes in practice, let alone competition.

But the trials are no normal meet.

“For a lot of us, it’s the biggest competition of our lives,” Malone said. “All the guys out there that haven’t made the Olympics before, this is their ticket to go. So I mean, of course the nerves are going to be going crazy. Even us that have been to the Olympics before, we want to go again, so the nerves are there for sure.”

Wiskus turned the nerves into energy, thanks to his home court advantage. The Spring Park, Minn., native is competing just 20 miles from his hometown. After a floor routine that pushed him from fourth to second in the standings, Wiskus held one hand to his ear to soak up the adulation from the fans. When he completed his final routine, finishing his rings performance with a small hop on the dismount, Wiskus clapped up a cloud of chalk dust, pumped his fist at the crowd and pounded his chest.

Normally the mild-mannered Midwesterner wouldn’t play to the crowd as much. Maybe when he was younger, an atmosphere like this would rattle him, Wiskus said. Hearing the roar from the crowd when he was introduced helped him let loose.

“I allowed myself to have some fun considering what could potentially be the last meet of my career,” the 25-year-old said.

With another strong performance Saturday, Wiskus could extend his career all the way to Paris.

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It’s been a fun few weeks for Trevor Lawrence.

Earlier this month, he inked a $275 million deal, making him tied with Joe Burrow for the second-highest paid player in NFL history.

Well, he and his wife, Marissa, announced on Instagram that they are expecting their first child.

“A little Lawrence on the way,” the couple wrote in a joint post.

In the post, the couple shared 10 photos of a sonogram and of Marissa showing off her baby bump.

Lawrence’s deal includes $142 million guaranteed. He became the sixth QB making more than $50 million a year, joining Burrow, Jared Goff, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts. Lawrence is the 14th to top $40 million annually, and he’s the youngest on the list.

Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars kisses his wife, Marissa, after his team’s playoff-clinching win against the Tennessee Titans at then-TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida, on Jan. 7, 2023. (Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

12 SETS OF RECENT BROTHERS PART OF THE NFL: THE KELCES, BOSAS AND MORE

Lawrence has already added his name to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ history books. He is fourth on the franchise’s all-time passing yards list. His 58 career touchdown passes rank fourth in franchise history.

Lawrence finished the past two NFL seasons with more than 4,000 passing yards; he and the Jags won the AFC South in 2022 and were in terrific shape to repeat, but a second half collapse saw them miss the playoffs.

Last season, he threw for 4,016 yards with 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He also ran for four scores, lost seven fumbles and was sacked a career-high 35 times.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence runs with the ball during the game against the Baltimore Ravens at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, on Dec. 17, 2023. (David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The 24-year-old is 21-31 as a starter in three seasons, including 1-1 in the playoffs, and he has a whopping 60 turnovers in three seasons, which is a number he needs to trim to become the player the Jags believe he can be.

Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report.

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