Late Goals from Daniel Leyva and Theodore Ku-DiPietro Boost USA to 2-1 Comeback Win against Honduras at 2023 Pan American Games

VIÑA DEL MAR, Chile (Oct. 26, 2023) – A pair of late goals propelled the U.S. Men’s Pan American Team to a thrilling come-from-behind 2-1 victory against Honduras in its second match of the 2023 Pan American Games. Despite conceding early, the U.S. battled to the end as midfielder Daniel Leyva equalized in the 73rd minute before midfielder Theodore Ku-DiPietro netted in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to secure three points.

With the result, the U.S. is tied with Colombia for second place in Group B. The USA and Colombia will face off on Sunday, Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. ET for a spot in the tournament semifinals and a shot at a Pan American medal.

Honduras opened the scoring in the 19th minute following a long spell of possession around the U.S. box. Working the ball around inside the final third, the USA defense was able to parry two shot attempts before a third hard-rolling effort from Antony Garcia at the top of the box got through the back line and past diving goalkeeper Chituru Odunze.

The U.S. pushed hard for an equalizer in the second half, outshooting Los Catrachos 8-0, and was finally able to draw even in the 73^rd minute. Patiently building up in the Honduran half, Nolan Norris found Jack Panayotou on the run down the left side. He boomed a ball into the box for Leyva in front of goal eight yards out, and the midfielder headed it to the left post to level things for the USA.

The game-winner came in the final moments. Alexander Freeman drove the ball forward into a swarm of Honduran defenders before slipping it up to Ku-DiPietro. The D.C. United forward took a spinning touch with the ball and as his defender attempted to poke it out, ripped a left-footed shot to the far post to make it 2-1. Tempers flared following the goal, as Honduras’ Daniel Carter punched U.S. captain Nicolas Carrera and was immediately sent off and the referee handed out three more yellow cards in the ensuing scrum.

The men’s soccer tournament features two groups of four teams each. The top two finishers in each group advance to the semifinals.

GROUP A STANDINGS & RESULTS

	W	L	D	GD	Pts.
Chile	2	0	0	2	6
Mexico	1	0	1	1	4
Uruguay	1	1	0	0	3
Dominican Republic	0	1	1	-2	1

Monday, Oct. 23
Uruguay 1, Dominican Republic 0
Chile 1, Mexico 0

Thursday, Oct. 26
Mexico 0, Dominican Republic 0
Chile 1, Uruguay 0

GROUP B STANDINGS & RESULTS

	W	L	D	GD	Pts.
Brazil	2	0	0	3	6
USA	1	1	0	1	3
Colombia	1	1	0	0	3
Honduras	0	2	0	-3	0

Monday, Oct. 25
Colombia 2, Honduras 0
Brazil 1, USA 0

Thursday, Oct. 26
USA 2, Honduras 1
Brazil 2, Colombia 0

It’s the first time since 2007 that U.S. Soccer has sent a men’s team to the Pan American Games, a continental multi-sport event for North and South America featuring summer Olympic sports. The tournament has featured a variety of age restriction rules since its launch in 1951. As the Pan American Games are held the year before the Olympics, all nations are now restricted to bringing under-22 players, aligning with the under-23 age restriction at the Olympics. U.S. head coach Michael Nsien brought three players born in 2002, five born in 2003, five born in 2004 and five born in 2005.

The United States qualified for the Pan Am Games with its dominant title-winning performance at the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship. The U.S. won the tournament for the third-straight time, clinching its first men’s Olympic berth since 2008 in the process. Four teams from Concacaf qualified to the Pan American Games, the U-20 Championship winner (USA) plus the best team from each of the confederation’s three sub-regions- Caribbean (Dominican Republic), Central America (Honduras) and North America (Mexico).

This year marks the U.S. men’s 13th appearance over 19 editions of the Pan American Games. The red, white and blue took home gold at the 1991 tournament in Havana, Cuba with the likes of future USMNT legends like Cobi Jones, Kasey Keller and Claudio Reyna. The USA also reached the podium in its tournament debut at Chicago 1959 and at Winnipeg 1999.

-U.S. MEN’S PAN AMERICAN TEAM MATCH REPORT-

Match: United States Men’s Pan American Soccer Team vs. Honduras
Date: Oct. 25, 2023
Competition: 2023 Pan American Games – Group B
Venue: Estadio Sausalito; Viña del Mar, Chile
Kickoff: 5 p.m. ET (6 p.m. local)
Weather: 75 degrees, clear

Scoring Summary:                 1          2          F
USA                                           0          2          2
HON                                           1          0          1

HON – Antony Garcia                                                                        19th minute
USA – Daniel Leyva (Jack Panayotou)                                           73
USA – Theodore KuDiPietro (Alexander Freeman)                      90+4

Lineups:
USA: 1-Chirturu Odunze; 3-Michael Wentzel (5-Thomas Williams, 71), 4-Nicolas Carrera (Capt.), 7-Jackson Hopkins (9-Theodore Ku-DiPietro, 71), 8-Brooklyn Raines (11-Tega Ikoba, 71), 10-Jack Panayotou, 13-Alexander Freeman, 15-Sergio Oregel (14-Vaughn Covil, 89), 16-Nolan Norris, 17-Rodrigo Neri, 18-Javier Casas Jr. (6-Daniel Leyva, 61)
Substitutes not used: 12-Antonio Carrera, 2-Mauricio Cuevas
Head coach: Michael Nsien

HON: 18-Enrique Facusse; 2-Deyron Martinez (15-Anfronit Tatum, 67), 3-Jose Martinez, 4-Andre Orellana, 5-Luis Vega (Capt.), 6-Javier Arriaga (17-Axel Maldonado, 89), 8-Gerson Chavez, 9-Daniel Carter, 10-Antony Garcia (7-Jeffry Miranda, 67), 14-David Ochoa (12-Samuel Elvir, 89), 16-Edson Palacios, 18-Enrique Facusse
Substitutes not used: 1-Juergen Garcia, 11-Jedyn Macias, 13-Marco Aceituno
Head coach: Nestor Lo Tarato

Stats Summary: USA / HON
Shots: 11 / 2
Shots on Goal: 5 / 2
Saves: 1 / 3
Corner Kicks: 6 / 1
Fouls: 22 / 11
Offside: 0 / 5

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Javier Casas Jr. (Caution)                45th minute
HON – Deyron Martinez (Caution)               54
USA – Jackson Hopkins (Caution)               61
HON – Daniel Carter (Sent Off)                    90+5
USA – Nicolas Carrera (Caution)                  90+5
HON – Edson Palacios (Caution)                  90+5
USA – Jack Panayotpu (Caution)                 90+5

Officials:
Referee: Manuel Vergara (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Alan Sandoval (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Ureta (CHI)
Fourth Official: Fernando Vejar (CHI)