Barquisimeto (Venezuela): Brad Guzan made several key saves, including one on a penalty, in his first Copa America appearance but couldn't get to Jaime Castrillon's 14th-minute header and the United States lost 1-0 to Colombia on Thursday night.
It was the first time the United States lost three in a row since 2001. Both teams were eliminated from South America's football championship the day before when Brazil beat Ecuador, but the match nevertheless took on urgency at the finish.
Colombia goalkeeper Robinson Zapata was given a second yellow card and sent off for wasting time in the 84th minute when he fiddled with his shoe after Kyle Beckerman's tying goal was called back for offside.
As his teammates pleaded with Venezuelan referee Manuel Andarcia to no avail, Zapata took off his goalkeeper's jersey and striker Hugo Rodallega stepped into the net because Colombia had used all three of its substitutions.
The disorganised US attack didn't capitalise, however, and the Colombians even managed to send some counterattacks Guzan's way during the rest of regulation and the four minutes of added time.
Guzan, who plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer mostly performed well in only his second international appearance. The first was a 4-0 exhibition win over Guatemala in February 2006.
Castrillon's goal would have been tough for anyone to stop. It came off a long, perfectly placed pass from Camilo Zuniga on the right wing. Castrillon stepped past his defender and headed it smartly past Guzan into the far side of the net.
In the 34th, Guzan drew a penalty when he took down Rodallega in the box while going for a loose ball. He redeemed himself on the kick by correctly anticipating Rodallega's shot and making a save that kept the score 1-0.
"In all three games, we had moments when we played well. But we still must be more consistent for 90 minutes in order to move to the next level," US coach Bob Bradley said following the match.
Kasey Keller started the first two matches in goal for the United States, a 4-1 loss to Argentina and a 3-1 loss to Paraguay.
The United States sent a mostly inexperienced squad to the tournament after winning the championships of North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
The United States left many of the best players from that CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning team off this roster, and only six members of the 22-man roster had more than 10 international appearances when the Americans left for Venezuela.
"We are here to give these guys this experience," said Keller, a member of the past two US World Cup teams. "Unfortunately, sometimes you have to make mistakes to learn. Hopefully now as we go forward in this tournament and into future games, we have learned from this experience and will be better for it."
The US team's inexperience became an issue on Wednesday, when a high-ranking CONMEBOL official criticised the Americans for not bringing their top squad.
Brazil, too, are without superstars, but the five-time World Cup champions made it into the knockout stages with their 1-0 win over Ecuador.
Bradley was 10-0-1 in his first 11 games before the Copa.
The United States' next international game is a friendly with Sweden in Goteborg. The next competitive match for the Americans is World Cup qualifying, likely to start in June next year.
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