Play was stopped for over ten minutes after an assistant referee was struck in the face with a ball from point blank range in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal.
The freak incident stemmed from a tussle for possession between Canada's Kamal Miller and the USMNT's Gianluca Busio, which resulted in the former clearing his lines in the direction of the stands. However, linesman Christian Espinosa found himself in an unfortunate spot as the ball ended up hitting him directly in the face in what was a dramatic scene.
Such was the power behind Miller's clearance that the assistant referee soon appeared to be in some distress, sinking to his knees as the impact appeared to have drawn blood. The stricken official was seen covering his face and referee Marco Ortiz was left with little option but to bring play to a halt.
In the end, play was suspended for some 11 minutes as Espinosa was treated at the side of the pitch, with footage also demonstrating that the official's shirt had to be opened so medical staff could take a closer look at potential injuries. The casualty's microphone was also removed during the incident and he was handed a towel to help stem any bleeding from his nose before leaving the field of play.
The full extent of the match official's injuries are not yet known. Afterwards, Fox Sports' sideline reporter Jenny Taft later shared that he is expected to make a full recovery following the blast, adding: "Good news, he's gonna be okay!"
The minutes that were lost due to the linesman's need for treatment as a result of his injuries were subsequently added on at the end of the first half of the encounter where the teams would go into the interval level at half time at 0-0 but the second half would produce more drama.
A late strike from Brandon Vasquez looked to have won the match for the Stars and Stripes in the 88th minute, before a penalty from Steven Vitoria restored parity deep into injury time to force a further half an hour of play. The pendulum then looked to have swung in the direction of the Canadians as they took the lead in the 109th minute.
However, another equalizer through a Scott Kennedy own goal would take the game to a penalty shootout. The USMNT would then edge the tie in dramatic circumstances after goalkeeper Matt Turner saved two efforts from the spot.
The victory meant that the USMNT made their 12th semi final in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in successive attempts, with Panama now standing in their way of reaching the final. They will face either Mexico or Jamaica in the showpiece, if they are to defeat their opponents in the last four.
The seven-time champions of the confederation's flagship tournament won the last edition back in 2021 with a 1-0 victory over Mexico and a repeat of this clash could well be in store on July 16 in the final at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
