Mission Valley was full of red, white and blue as 31,690 USA and Panama men’s national team fans filled up Snapdragon Stadium to watch Panama top the U.S. in penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw to advance to the Concacaf Gold Cup final.

“We had an objective to come and lift a trophy and we’re disappointed we weren't able to achieve that,” Interim Head Coach BJ Callaghan said.

The USMNT came out strong in the first minute with a near assist by Chula Vista’s Brandon Vazquez, but the shot just missed the right post. Though, that opportunity would be one of few chances for the U.S. who spent the rest of the first half dominated by Panama who employed a wide shape with wing backs that exposed an open midfield.

“The first half is my fault,” Callaghan said. “I didn’t set the team up the way they should have been set up. We were able to make adjustments at halftime, and I’m so proud of the group, the way they came out in the second half, the way they responded.”

Panama made many more passes and dominated possession 66% of the time, but were unable to finish at the end with saves by U.S. Captain Matthew Turner and a solid defensive line that put pressure on Panama’s forwards.

The second half looked much better from the U.S. as they had more chances and shots, but like Panama, couldn’t find the final edge with some key misses by Brandon Vazquez and Jesus Ferreira that ultimately led to extra time for their second straight match.

The first period of extra time went in favor of Panama who scored in the 99th minute of the match after a through ball found Iván Anderson who rushed past the defense to go one-on-one with Matt Turner who he managed to beat before sending it in to take the lead.

The U.S., like their match against Canada, managed to equalize to send the decision to a penalty shootout. The goal came in the first period of extra time in the final minute after a high cross got headed to the center of the box by Jordan Morris toward Jesus Ferreira who sent a great volley in to make it 1-1.

Ferreira leads the Gold Cup golden boot race with a total of eight goals across the group and knockout stage.

“He’s a guy who will do anything for the team. He’s so selfless he’ll do anything that you ask him and I thought that was on display tonight playing multiple positions,” Callaghan said. “I couldn’t be more proud to have him in our group and I only expect him to continue to get better and have a bigger impact.”

His strong play to that point was unfortunately stopped as the penalty kicks started as he shot first, but his kick shot was saved by the Panamanian goalkeeper, Orlando Mosquera. Ferreira was the only U.S. player to miss his penalty kick in the first five before Cristian Roldán missed his kick allowing Panama to cement their spot in the final with a goal by the Houston Dynamo midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla.

The Panamanian squad will play again on Sunday, July 16 as they take a short trip up to Los Angeles, to face the Mexico Men’s National Team, who won 3-0 over Jamaica in their semifinal match, at Sofi Stadium in the Concacaf Gold Cup final.