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Happy Friday – for Panama and Mexico, that is. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest after a dramatic batch of semifinals at the Concacaf Nations League, setting the competition up for a first-time champion on Sunday.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Friday, March 21

🌎 WCQ: Uruguay vs. Argentina, 7:30 p.m. ➡️ Fanatiz

🇺🇸 NWSL: Portland Thorns vs. Angel City, 10 p.m. ➡️ Amazon Prime Video

Saturday, March 22

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 WSL: Arsenal vs. Liverpool, 1:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+

🇺🇸 MLS: FC Cincinnati vs. Atlanta United, 2:30 p.m. ➡️ MLS Season Pass

🇺🇸 NWSL: Washington Spirit vs. Kansas City Current, 7:30 p.m. ➡️ Ion

Sunday, March 23

🇺🇸 NWSL: Chicago Stars vs. Houston Dash, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network

🇪🇺 UNL: Germany vs. Italy, 3;45 p.m. ➡️ FS2

🌎 CNL: Canada vs. USMNT, 6 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network

🏆 CNL: Mexico vs. Panama, 9:30 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+

⚽ The Forward Line

🇺🇸 USMNT lose to Panama – again

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The U.S. men’s national team’s quest to win a fourth successive Concacaf Nations League title is officially over following Thursday’s surprise 1-0 loss to Panama, forcing questions about how high the “golden generation” really can go with less than 15 months to go until the World Cup.

Though the USMNT dictated play and outshot Panama 12 to three, they adjusted slowly to the visitors’ style of play. They generated just 0.68 expected goals from their shots, five of which were on goal, improving slightly in the second half after failing to leave a real mark on the game before the break. Tim Ream attributed their sluggishness to a sense of surprise at Panama’s press, saying that they “switched it a little bit” from previous outings like the USMNT’s 2-0 win in Mauricio Pochettino’s first game in charge in October. Pochettino was a bit more blunt, though – he said the team lacked competitive edge.

• Pochettino: “I think the first half, I think we played too slow, so comfortable on the pitch. “We didn’t show aggression with the ball and because the consequence not to show aggression with the ball. … First half, I think, was really painful. It was really painful to see.”

The USMNT were without a few key players because of injuries, forcing some intriguing tactical choices that included stints as wing-backs for Yunus Musah and Tim Weah, who have limited experience in those roles at the national team level. Pochettino argued that the USMNT did not clear the first hurdle in a winning game plan by lacking aggression, but this is not the first time this question has been raised about this group. The issue was identified as the root cause of their doomed Copa America run last summer, which led to a managerial change that so far has not magically fixed the problem. Christian Pulisic, who has experienced this group’s ups and downs firsthand, agreed with Pochettino assessment but appeared mystified when asked to identify why they lacked energy in the first half.

• Pulisic: “It’s difficult to say. Their game plan was pretty clear. They were going to sit a bit lower and defend and they defended really well. You have to give them credit. I mean, I don’t know where exactly we lack that grit or [nastiness]. It’s hard to say, where do you put that in when you have the ball and you’re just trying to score? We need to be more relentless in front of the goal, I guess.”

The USMNT resume play on Sunday in the CNL third place match, where they will face Canada.

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🇲🇽 Mexico breeze past Canada

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Thursday’s CNL doubleheader was an exercise in contrasts – while the USMNT failed to meet the moment, Mexico acted like the main attraction at SoFi Stadium and came up with a confident 2-0 win over Canada that now makes them the favorites to win their first title.

Raul Jimenez bagged a brace for El Tri and wasted no time at all getting on the scoresheet, giving Mexico the lead within the first minute. Canada were eager to get back into the game, dominating possession and outshooting Mexico 11 to eight. Javier Aguirre’s side made up the difference with efficiency – they put three of their chances on target while Canada had just one to speak of, and El Tri won the expected goals battle 1.38 to 0.72.

The win is an early signal that, at long last, Mexico might be trending in the right direction after a few years of playing second fiddle to the U.S. in a handful of respects, most notably losing two CNL finals to their neighbors. How far this Mexico team can go in the long run is an entirely different question, but the fervor with which they played on Thursday against a competitive Canada team was in stark contrast to the USMNT’s bland first half, tilting the Concacaf scales in their favor at a crucial juncture for the 2026 World Cup host teams.

Jesse Marsch’s Canada, meanwhile, continue to play the role of talented but plucky underdog well. There was undoubtedly room for improvement in Thursday’s defeat, but they feel like a viable contender in the third place game, which already has a competitive feel because of Marsch’s status as a former contender for the USMNT job before U.S. Soccer opted to re-hire Gregg Berhalter in 2023, as well as the head coach’s comments last month on the current state of politics between the U.S. and Canada. True to form, Marsch has already issued some fighting words – he quipped post-match on Thursday that there were “maybe more [Canadians] than Americans” in the stands at SoFi Stadium.

🔗 Top Stories

🇺🇸 USMNT player ratings: There were low scores across the board for the USMNT during their 1-0 loss to Panama, with no one scoring higher than a seven on a disappointing night.

🇵🇦 Waterman, Henry celebrate: Watch Panama’s Cecilio Waterman celebrate his late goal by running over to CBS Sports analyst Thierry Henry, who he said was his idol.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Tuchel watch: Ahead of Thomas Tuchel’s first game as the England manager, here are three things to keep an eye on as the Three Lions’ road to the 2026 World Cup officially begins.

🔮 USMNT at No.1?: Before Thursday’s loss, Mauricio Pochettino said the USMNT have the potential to be the world’s best team in the next decade – but it would take a lot to get them there.

🎥 Pulisic doc: Here are five things we learned from Pulisic, which is currently streaming right now on Paramount+.

💰 The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers: Uruguay vs. Argentina, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
• 💰 THE PICK: Julian Alvarez to score (+290) – Lionel Messi may not be with Argentina for this month’s World Cup qualifiers, but the reigning world champions can count on Julian Alvarez to fill in the goalscoring void. He has 25 goals for club and country this season, and is in strong form right now with seven goals in his last nine games. He will likely be key for Argentina on Friday as they hope to extend their lead atop the 10 team World Cup qualifying table to eight points.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.  

📺 What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

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☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Join Golazo Network as it help fans get their day started on the right foot on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you’ll never have to miss an episode.

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⚽  Call it What You Want (Monday and Thursday): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and Tony Meola cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 1 p.m. ET and Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.

🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can’t-miss goals from the day’s action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.

📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.