Is U.S. vs. Uruguay at Arrowhead a must-win for USA’s Copa America soccer hopes?

The United States Men’s National Team enters its final Copa America group-stage soccer match with its back to the wall.

That proverbial wall is located at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, where the USMNT faces Uruguay Monday at 8 p.m. in what’s come to be billed as a must-win situation for U.S. hopes in this tournament.

Could the Americans really crash out in the group stage of Copa America, which takes place every four years? Those are the stakes facing the U.S. squad after a 2-1 loss to Panama its last time out.

“We still have a lot to play for,” USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter said Sunday. “There’s still a lot of soccer to be played in this group.

“We have to play our game; Panama has to play their game. We’re doing the best possible job we can to put ourselves in a good position to advance.”

TV for Copa America, USMNT vs. Uruguay

Monday night’s U.S. vs. Uruguay match is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Central Time.

The broadcast from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium will be carried live on FS1, TUDN and Univision.

How USMNT advances in Copa America

At first glance, the U.S. would seem to be sitting pretty at second place in Group C.

But that loss to Panama put the USMNT in a predicament. Is a victory, and only a victory — one by multiple goals, at that — the only way the U.S. can advance now?

No, that’s not the scenario here. If the U.S. can match or exceed what Panama does against Bolivia — in another group-stage match that kicks off at the same time Monday — America will advance.

If the U.S. and Panama both win, a differential tie-breaker comes into play. For the USMNT to move on to the quarterfinals, its margin of victory over Uruguay could not be more than one goal less than Panama’s margin of victory.

Some examples: A 1-0 U.S. win and 2-0 Panama win would see the USMNT advance. A 1-0 USMNT victory and 3-0 Panama victory would see Panama advance, with Panama having scored more goals during the Copa America group stage than the USMNT (while being tied on goal differential).

A Monday draw for both Panama and the U.S. would see the USMNT advance.

Losses Monday by both teams could see the USMNT gain the quarterfinals, unless Bolivia were to beat Panama or Uruguay were to top the U.S. by a significant margin.

In other words … it’s complicated. But a multi-goal victory would make it less so.

Does KC history favor USMNT?

The U.S. Men’s National Team has never lost in Kansas City. That’s across all competitions, giving the top U.S. side a record of 8-2-0 here, including a 0-0 draw with Uruguay ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

A sizable crowd should be on hand at GEHA Field at Arrowhead to watch Monday’s match. In fact, it’s expected to break the stadium’s attendance record for a USMNT game.

The current stadium record of 37,319 was set at a 2001 World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica.

Who to watch for

Here are a few names to keep an eye on Monday evening:

• Darwin Nuñez is one of the star players for Uruguay, but the Liverpool striker is a volume-chance scorer. Limit his chances and damage becomes less likely.

• Maximiliano Araujo is a name that Sporting KC fans might need to get familiar with. The winger who plays for Toluca will come back to KC for Leagues Cup play in August. He has two goals and an assist in Uruguay’s first two matches.

• Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa was suspended for Monday’s game after the team was late onto the field multiple times in the second half last time out. Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni received a similar penalty. Whether that has an effect on Uruguay remains to be seen.

• USMNT striker Folarin Balogun has been in excellent form during this year’s Copa America, scoring in each game. He creates and finishes chances, which is what the U.S. needs: a secondary force to complement the main guy, Christian Pulisic.

Pulisic is obviously a player to watch for the U.S. As team captain, he’ll be leading the effort. But what’s left to say? At this point each player should know the stakes and what’s required of him.

“Everyone knows I’m not the most vocal guy ever, so it’s not gonna be me screaming at everyone,” Pulisic said Sunday. “Giving my best for the team, really buying into the team, that’s all I can do. I trust that everyone’s going to follow suit.”

Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.