Captain Michael Bradley scored from short range in the 55th minute, and the United States men's soccer team pulled out a 1-1 tie with Panama on Monday in the teams' final group-stage game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Kansas City, Kan.
Bradley scored on an assist from fellow midfielder Alejandro Bedoya. Panama forward Blas Perez opened the scoring on a short shot off a pass from forward Luis Tejada in the 34th minute.
The game was meaningless in the big picture for the United States, which previously clinched first place in Group A thanks to wins over Honduras and Haiti in its first two matches.
Panama drew all three of its group matches to wind up third place in Group A at three points. The Panamanians will wait to see if they are one of the top two third-place teams that will advance to the quarterfinals.
Haiti clinched second place in Group A and a quarterfinal berth thanks to a 1-0 win over Honduras earlier Monday. Haiti recorded four points in group play.
The tie against Panama ended the United States' six-match winning streak, a stretch that included road victories over two world powers, the Netherlands and Germany. The U.S. squad extended its unbeaten streak to eight matches.
The United States held the ball for 54 percent of Monday's game but was outshot by Panama 13-8. U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan was credited with six saves, while Panama goalie Jaime Penedo stopped two shots.
On Saturday in Baltimore, the U.S. team will face an opponent to be determined in a quarterfinal matchup. The semifinals will be played July 22 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, and the final is scheduled for July 26 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
If the United States wins the tournament, it would clinch a berth in the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia by virtue of also winning the 2013 Gold Cup. Should another team win this year's Gold Cup, it would face the United States in a playoff to determine CONCACAF's Confederations Cup representative.