The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) will be going up against Panama, looking to continue their undefeated play in the Copa América. The Americans faced off against Bolivia last Sunday, defeating the CONMEBOL side by a score of 2-0. A third-minute Christian Pulisic goal along with a 44th-minute Folarin Balogun goal was all that the USMNT needed to hold on for the win.
The USMNT will be able to qualify for the knockout stages on Thursday, but they need to get the three points against Panama, along with Uruguay either getting three points or Uruguay-Bolivia ending in a draw. The match will be taking place on Thursday, June 27th at 6:00 PM EST in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta United’s stadium was the host for the opening match of the tournament, where players from both Argentina and Canada were critical of the field.
A Look into Panama
Panama is the 43rd-ranked team in the FIFA Men’s World Ranking, being third lowest in Group C, only above Bolivia. They are led by Spanish manager Thomas Christiansen, who took over as manager in July of 2020. In the 62 matches that he has been in charge of Panama, Christiansen has a record of 31 wins, 14 draws, and 17 losses.
Panama is currently coming off a 3-1 loss against Uruguay, where they had their chances to get in the match, but were not able to take them. The better side did win in the match, but Panama’s performance should not be something that is overlooked.
The Panama roster
Goalkeepers – Luis Mejía (Club Nacional), César Samudio (CD Marathón), Orlando Mosquera (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
Defenders – César Blackman (Slovan Bratislava), José Córdoba (Norwich City), Eduardo Anderson (Deportivo Saprissa), Eric Davis (FC Kosice), Omar Valencia (NY Red Bulls), Iván Anderson (Fortaleza CEIF), Michael Murillo (Marseille), Edgardo Fariña (CSD Municipal), Roderick Miller (Turan-Tovuz IK)
Midfielders – Abdiel Ayarza (Cienciano), Cristian Martínez (Al Jandal), José Luis Rodriguez (Famalicão), Adalberto Carrasquilla (Houston Dynamo), Edgar Bárcenas (Mazatlán FC), Freddy Góndola (Maccabi Bnei Reineh), Jovani Welch (Académico Viseu FC), Carlos Harvey (Minnesota United), César Yanis (AD San Carlos), Kaiser Lenis (Jaguares de Cerdoba)
Attackers – Eduardo Guerrero (Zorya Lugansk), Ismael Díaz (CD Universidad Católica), José Fajarado (CD Universidad Católica)
Matchup History
When facing off against each other, the USMNT has dominated the overall series, holding a record of 17 wins, 2 losses, and 7 draws against the side. But in their most recent encounter, Panama was the one who was victorious, defeating the USMNT in a penalty kick shootout that got them to the Gold Cup Final. Panama ended up losing that match by a score of 1-0 to CONCACAF rivals Mexico. The USMNT will be hoping to get revenge for that loss, as they look to possibly qualify for the knockout stages of the Copa America tonight.
Key to the Game: Be Prepared for Anything
In a recent press conference with the media, manager Gregg Berhalter stated that the USMNT will be prepared for anything that Panama throws at his squad, narrowing in on the physical aspect of the match. Berhalter said:
“We don’t shy away from physicality. We like that in matches, and that’s never a problem for us. For us, it’s just about embracing whatever a particular match brings, and if it’s physicality, we’ll be fine, we’ll be able to deal with that.”
Berhalter talking so much about the possible physicality of the match makes it seem like he knows that’s what Panama is going to bring to the table. The USMNT knows they are a tough opponent, as they lost to their fellow CONCACAF side in the Gold Cup semifinals. Gregg Berhalter said that his squad will be prepared for what is thrown at them, and if they want the three points tonight, that is extremely important. Panama had a decent performance against Uruguay despite losing 3-1, so Berhalter will not want his squad to be caught off guard at any point.
Lineup Predictions
In their latest match against Bolivia, Gregg Berhalter ran with his usual 4-3-3 formation, and it ended up with his squad taking home a 2-0 win. I do not see Berhalter changing the formation up tonight, and honestly do not really see him changing up anything at all in regards to the players.
Berhalter will want to run with his usual strong squad, as a possible chance to qualify for the knockout stages is on the table. Yes, the USMNT faces off against Uruguay on Monday, but if Berhalter has the opportunity to make that match, it will not mean much in regards to qualifying, I can’t see why he would not take that offer. With all that being said, this is how I see the USMNT lining up for tonight’s match against Panama:
GK: Matt Turner
RB: Joe Scally, CB: Chris Richards, CB: Tim Ream, LB: Antonee Robinson
RCM: Weston McKennie, LCM: Tyler Adams
CAM: Gio Reyna
RW: Tim Weah, ST: Folarin Balogun, LW: Christian Pulisic
Score Prediction
The USMNT will be looking to do their part in qualifying for the knockout stages tonight, and for that, they need to get three points. While the performance against Bolivia was not the best performance, the group was still able to get a 2-0 win and dominate their opponent on the pitch. Berhalter will be hoping his squad will be able to do the same tonight, and that is what I am expecting to happen. The USMNT will get a similar result to the match against Bolivia, and pull out a 3-0 win.
USMNT vs Panama Betting Odds
United States Moneyline: -300
Panama Moneyline: +800
Draw: +420
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