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Panama vs USA Preview
The USA enters their second group game of Copa America when they face Panama on June 27. Kick-off is at 6:00 pm Eastern Time. The USMNT are fresh from a convincing 2-0 victory over Bolivia in their opener.
Panama is one of the lowest-ranked teams in the competition. They come in from a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Uruguay and will be desperate to bounce back at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Tournament football can produce surprise results, are we due for one this Thursday?
Panama vs USA Head-to-Head and Key Stats
These nations have a rich competitive history. They have frequently met in the CONCACAF Gold Cup and World Cup qualifiers. The USMNT has bragging rights over Los Canaleros, winning 16 meetings to Panama’s four with four draws. However, Panama’s incredible growth in recent years has seen this fixture become more competitive.
They last met in July in the 2023 Gold Cup semifinals. The USA squad missed some of their most talented players in the biannual tournament. The likes of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Tim Weah were absent from the game after a demanding European campaign. A tightly contested 90 minutes called for extra time.
Panama’s Iván Anderson finally opened the scoring in the 99th minute. A searching ball over the USA back line found the defender, who knocked it past Matt Turner, rushing out from his goal. Anderson tapped into an open net to take a shock lead. Jesus Ferreira levelled the game six minutes later when his volley floated past Orlando Mosquera into the right corner. After 120 minutes, the game had to be settled on penalties. Misses from Ferreira and Cristian Roldan handed Panama the victory, winning 5-4 on penalties and progressing to the final.
The USA played last weekend in their Copa America 2024 opener against Bolivia. The Stars and Stripes dominated the game, completing an expectant 2-0 victory. They entered the fixture in inconsistent form, including a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Brazil in their final warmup game.
Greg Berhalter’s team got off to a flying start when Christian Pulisic fired in after three minutes. A smartly worked set-piece routine allowed him to take the ball out from the corner and curl his shot from range past Guillermo Viscara into the top right corner.
The USA front three of Pulisic, Balogun, and Weah were a constant threat, tearing apart the Bolivia back line and causing confusion in the final third. Their hard work paid off in the 44th minute when Pulisic laid the ball off to Balogun, whose low-driven shot from 15 yards doubled their lead. The competition hosts dominated the rest of the game and Bolivia never looked like scoring, completing a professional performance for the USA.
Panama’s Copa America 2024 campaign began on Sunday when they faced Uruguay. A tough opening test in the group stage saw Uruguay take the lead after 16 minutes through Maximiliano Araujo’s wonderful effort from range. Los Charrúas had Panama’s back to the wall with their high press and forced strong saves from Mosquera, entering the second half 1-0 up and in control.
Panama could not deal with Uruguay’s attacking threat and avoided humiliation by some poor finishing. Darwin Nunez finally doubled their lead in the 85th minute before Matias Vina secured a third in the 91st. Michael Amir Murillo scored a consolation goal three minutes later, but Los Canaleros never deserved more than the 3-1 defeat they suffered.
Panama vs USA Prediction
Correct score prediction: USA 2-0 Panama
Soccer in Panama has experienced somewhat of a renaissance over the last five years. They have gone from being ranked 81st in the FIFA world rankings in 2019 to 42nd in 2024. However, the USA has gone from strength to strength and is now ranked among some of the elite nations at 11th. This will be more of a test than their opener against Bolivia, but our Copa America prediction is for a 2-1 victory for the host nation.
Coach Berhalter has worked excellently to get the most out of the USA’s attacking talent. Pulisic and Weah are formidable down the wing. They now have a good headache over their starting striker position with Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent, and Haji Wright, all competing to lead the line. That forward-thinking mentality is what will be the difference maker here.
Panama struggled against Uruguay’s press. Their defence made frequent mistakes when pushed. They also struggled with their opponent’s overload tactics. When in possession, Uruguay pushed players over to one side of the attacking third, allowing runners on the opposite flank. This confused Los Canaleros, who was stuck between marking runners and holding position to block shots. Uruguay’s first two goals came from these tactics and the USA can replicate them. They have excellent goal-scoring forwards, playmakers in midfield like Yunus Musah and Giovanni Reyna, and the likes of Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie, who can trigger the press.
The USA’s defence was strong in their competition opener, though against a weaker opposition. Panama poses more of a threat than Bolivia, but Berhalter’s defence has meshed well. Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream play together at club level, aiding that cohesion. They kept a clean sheet in their first game and can do the same here. Like Bolivia, Panama has a lack of consistent scorers. Jose Fajardo is his nation’s top scorer with 11 goals in 47 games. The USA can keep Panama out to make it two clean sheets in a row.
Thomas Christiansen’s side is set up to hurt stronger teams on the counter. Their structured 3-4-3 formation has pace in wide areas and quality in the middle to allow fast breaks. They will expect to lose the battle for possession. However, they are hard to break down and the USA must be prepared for counterattacks when throwing men forward.
Panama lacks the top-tier talent that the USA boasts. Fullback Michael Murillo plays in Ligue 1 with Marseille, but they have no other players in Europe’s top leagues. In comparison, the USA has 15 players who played in Europe’s top five leagues last season and two who won the Eredivisie in the Netherlands. Panama can cause The Stars and Stripes problems on the counter, but the USA’s talent will see them through this game.
Panama vs USA Betting Picks
The competition hosts are the moneyline favourites for this game. A bet on the USA is worth -212. Although they lost in their last meeting, they fielded a significantly weaker team. All of their stars will be available for selection here. The USA was strong at the back in their opener, and we expect the same here. We like a bet on USA to win to nil, worth +120 with our online sportsbook.
Christian Pulisic was in top form against Bolivia, registering a goal and an assist. He is the focal point of the USA’s attacks. The AC Milan winger scored a hat trick against Los Canaleros in his last appearance in 2022 and we are backing him to be amongst the goals once again. Copa America betting markets will offer favourable odds on him as an anytime goalscorer in this game.
It took just 141 seconds for Christian Pulisic to get on the scoresheet, and that earns him @michelobultra Superior Man of the Match honors 🍻 pic.twitter.com/qtOegNOOoo
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 24, 2024
The over/under line for this game is set at 2.5 goals. This fixture has become more competitive over time, but the USA has managed big wins, including 5-1 and 6-2 victories since 2020. However, coach Christiansen has worked hard to make his side hard to break down. Two of the last three fixtures have finished under 2.5 goals. Three of the USA’s last four games hit the under. We are edging towards the under once again here, worth -114 with our online sportsbook. However, the history of this fixture means it would be beneficial to wait for the game to kick off and look at the live betting markets.
Panama is a disciplined, defensive team. They attempt to push attackers out and force mistakes, rather than dive into tackles. Their temperament is good, and they have received one yellow card in their last three fixtures. We like a bet on Panama to receive under 2.5 cards.
USA Predicted Lineup
Coach Berhalter will be satisfied with his defenders, and front three, but he could change the midfield. At halftime, he hooked off center midfielder Tyler Adams for Yunus Musah. This could be a tactical change, and Musah could start in the next game.
- Predicted Lineup: Turner, Scally, Richards, Ream, Robinson, Reyna, Musah, McKennie, Weah, Balogun, Pulisic.
Panama Predicted Lineup
Manager Thomas Christiansen will know they did not put up enough of a fight against Uruguay. However, José Luis Rodríguez picked up an injury five minutes from time, meaning there could be some changes in the squad. Whether they line up with a 3-4-3 or 5-4-1 will depend on whether Freddy Góndola can slide in to replace the right winger.
- Predicted Lineup: Mosquera, Farina, Cordoba, Miller, Murillo, Davis, Góndola, Martinez, Carrasquilla, Barcenas, Fajardo.
