Panama “reclaims” dominance over USA in Nations League semifinal amidst political tensions

Ever since Donald Trump became president, he’s been causing tension with other countries, including Canada and Panama. And those two countries have since shown their dominance by way of sports.

First, Canada beat USA in the 4 Nations Face-off ice hockey final, and now, Panama has eliminated the USMNT from the Nations League, ending their dominance after the Americans won three straight. Trump had claimed that he would make Canada the 51st state “one way or the other”, and he later claimed that the U.S. was in the process of “reclaiming” the Panama Canal.

Political tensions between U.S. and Panama

In a March 5 congressional address, Trump said this: “To further enhance our national security, my administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal, and we’ve already started doing it."

That caused obvious alarm in Panama as it threatened their sovereignty over the canal. Panama strongly refuted Trump’s claims, with officials even invoking international laws and diplomatic channels like the United Nations to challenge the claims. Their determination to protect their control over the canal is backed by many Latin American and European nations.

Panama “reclaims” dominance over USA

As for “reclaiming”, it’s Panama who did that on Thursday with their win over the USMNT in the Nations League semifinal with a second-half stoppage time goal by Cecilio Waterman giving them the 1-0 victory.

The U.S. will not play in the final on Sunday and sees its own dominance in the competition come to an end after having won the first three editions.

The loss comes just a few days after USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino proclaimed that his side would win the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted partially in the U.S.

“If [Trump] asked me [if USA can win the World Cup], I will say yes,” he said. “With the help of President Trump and with the fans behind us as we host the World Cup, all is possible.”

This marks the U.S.‘s second defeat to Panama in their last three games, with the other a 2-1 defeat in the group stage of the 2024 Copa America as the Americans failed to reach the knockout round.

Tensions continue

The USMNT has one more game to play before they head back to their clubs. They will face Canada for third place in the Nations League.

When the two countries' hockey teams met, the U.S. was subjected to strong boos from the Canadian fans during the U.S. national anthem, and a Canadian pride stronger than ever seen before. As the two soccer teams have already become rivals in recent years, we could be looking at more of that when they face each other as well.

In February, Canada’s coach, Jesse Marsch, made headlines when he said that Trump’s attempt to make Canada part of the United States were “unsettling and frankly, insulting”.

2026 World Cup and the affect of political turmoil

The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The initial bid for these host countries was meant to promote unity and strengthen the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico. But since Trump was elected, there are concerns that the issues between the countries will only escalate during the event.

Trade disputes and controversial statements about Canada and Mexico (as well as Trump’s renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America) have led to a growing resentment in both countries, as evidenced by the Canadians' reactions during sporting events like the 4-Nations Face-Off.

Arturo Sarukhán, Mexico’s former ambassador to the United States, said that the recent events make him “sad”. He said that he acknowledges and encourages a “profound football rivalry” between Mexico and the U.S., but that he does not agree with Trump that tensions between the nations are a good thing for sports.

“It is what I would call the Trump-Sinatra doctrine of, ‘My way or the highway.’ We can see it in how he’s engaged with Panama and the canal, or Canada, Mexico and punitive tariffs, or threatening to annex Canada,” said Sarukhán. “All of this dynamic will certainly, in one form or another, be playing out in these Nations League games.”

And so it has.

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