A frustrating outing indeed for the US team, but they’re in excellent shape to advance with group-stage matches against minnows Martinique and Nicaragua remaining. Thanks as always for following along with us and be sure to check out the full match report below.
Updated
Full time: USA 1-1 Panama
There’s the final whistle and the US will have to settle for a draw in their Group B opener. It marks the first time the Americans have failed to win their group-stage opener in a Gold Cup.
90 min: Three minutes of stoppage time with the US really turning the screws on Panama, who are down to 10 men for the moment with Barcenas sidelined with an injury.
87 min: Arroya’s ball intercepted by Besler and he’s hacked down badly. US re-starts quickly in search of a winner.
85 min: Jordan Morris comes in for Bedoya and the US will move to a three-man front for the final stretch.
82 min: Bedoya shoved down in the area by a Panamanian defender but the referee urges the players to play on. Most of the just-announced crowd of 47,622, which is a state record for soccer, is up in arms.
Congratulations Nashville! pic.twitter.com/3riDUaEAP6
— Don Garber (@thesoccerdon) July 8, 2017
Updated
78 min: Another sub for Panama as Nunez enters for Gomez.
74 min: Not much happening for either side over the last few minutes, the heat perhaps taking its toll. Even more crack analysis here:
C’mon, someone be a hero. #USAvPAN
— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) July 8, 2017
69 min: Indeed, Zardes enters for Rowe, making his first appearance for the national team since last year’s Copa America.
67 min: Rowe down with a cramp. Zardes is warming up on the sideline, looking ready to enter the game.
65 min: Bedoya finds Agudelo in the area in space but he can’t manage a shot on goal. The US seems to have stunted Panama’s momentum here.
62 min: Agudelo comes on for Joe Corona, the US team’s first sub.
GOAL! USA 1-1 Panama (Camargo, 60 min)
This one seemed almost inevitable as it’s been all Panama since the USA goal. Rowe, Zusi and Acosta all have blame on their hands. Guzan makes the initial save on Torres’s screamer but Camargo is there to pounce on the rebound for an easy goal.
#CopaOro2017 Así empató Camargo el partido para #PAN ante #USA (1-1) pic.twitter.com/tEgd1SxlhL
— Univision Deportes (@UnivisionSports) July 8, 2017
Updated
58 min: Lots of up-and-down over the past few minutes. Now it looks like both sides will be making subs. Panama win their second corner.
55 min: A long entry ball into the area finds the head of Torres, who is two yards from the goal ... but Guzan somehow makes the hair-trigger save! This easily should have made it 1-all. A terrible miss by Torres, but just as great a save by Guzan.
54 min: And the US win another corner, their fifth of the match. Ascota takes it again but it’s easily cleared by Panama, who are now on the counter.
GOAL! USA 1-0 Panama (Dwyer, 50 min)
Dwyer, fresh off scoring in his USA debut last week against Ghana, makes it two goals in two career matches when he receives an entry pass from Rowe in the area and dumps it past the keeper inside the far post. All the more impressive considering Dwyer was all but invisible during the first half with a scant 10 touches. The United States finally have their breakthrough.
That's more like it! Dwyer gives the #USMNT the lead after great work from Rowe. @ModeloUSA #ModeloSoccer #USAvPAN https://t.co/1mI1Rf2vvt
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 8, 2017
Updated
47 min: Panama works the ball into a dangerous spot and it’s cleared by Guzan. A close call early on for the US.
46 min: We’re under way in the second half. No changes for either side at the break.
Updated
Half-time: USA 0-0 Panama
Well, it wasn’t Baby Driver on the thrill-a-minute scale. A slow pace with a surplus of sloppy passing and finishing. But at least the US has left plenty of room for improvement in the second half. Plenty more to come from Nashville.
45 min+4: Díaz take a ball off his chest then lets a shot fly, nearly beating the outstretched Guzan. Alas, it’s out, and that will be the final kick of the half.
45 min: The fourth official signals for three minutes of stoppage time.
42 min: The US win a free kick and it will be taken by Acosta again. It doesn’t quite make it over the wall and Panama quickly counter, but they give it right back.
40 min: Dwyer lays off for Corona in acres of space and he drives toward the goal, but he waits a beat too long and is dispossessed. Play starting to open up a bit right before half-time.
Updated
37 min: The US win a free kick from about 35 yards. Acosta’s attempt is punched away by the keeper and Panama have possession again.
35 min: Bárcenas lets fly from outside the area. The shot is on target but hardly tests Guzan, who easily makes the save.
34 min: The US win another corner, their first. Acosta plays it short to McCarty (again), but a speculative shot from far outside the area is easily wrapped up by Calderon.
33 min: Now Bedoya gets loose up the right flank and tries to find Dwyer in the middle, but Dwyer is a step offside and the flag goes up.
30 min: Now the sides head to the benches for a mandatory hydration break.
27 min: And the teams trade chances! First it’s Rowe again for the United States, who forces a save from Calderon on a cleanly taken chance from inside the area. Then moments later on a Panama counter-attack it’s Carmago, who tries to curl one past Guzan on the far post, only for the outstretched keeper to divert it out for a corner.
#CopaOro2017 Cerca #PAN de abrir el marcador ante #USA con este gran remate (0-0) pic.twitter.com/6vXi8JnjRp
— Univision Deportes (@UnivisionSports) July 8, 2017
Updated
25 min: Hardly anything so far even resembling a dangerous chance for either side.
21 min: Panama on the attack now and the pall is played through to Torres, who has only Omar Gonzalez to beat. But he’s muscled down by Gonzalez in the area while, apparently, trying to win a penalty. He’s given no sympathy by the referee, who urges the Lausanne-Sport forward to play on.
19 min: The US win another corner. Acosta plays it short to McCarty, who returns it to Acosta, who fires a shot toward the near post that goes out off the keeper for another corner.
⚽ | #CopaOro2017 ¡Casi! @ussoccer muy cerca de abrir el marcador #USA 0-0 #PAN https://t.co/Wqt6fmVLOf pic.twitter.com/kUhGB1OPke
— Univision Deportes (@UnivisionSports) July 8, 2017
The second corner is quickly cleared.
Updated
14 min: Both sides struggling to sustain momentum on a hot, humid day today. So hot, in fact, that mandatory water breaks have been ordered, the first of which will take place at 30 minutes.
10 min: The corner is wasted as it goes out for a goal kick. Panama well organized in defense early.
9 min: Bedoya on the right flank beats his defender (who slips) and races down the touchline, winning a corner when his cross is blocked out.
5 min: First two chances of the match for the Americans. Acosta finds Dwyer in the area but he can’t turn it into a shot on goal. Then moments later Rowe takes a pass from McCarty and rips a shot on target, but it’s easily batted down by the keeper.
3 min: A bit of a feeling-out period for both sides in the early going. Panama pressing higher up than we might have expected. An impressive turnout of mostly US fans at Nissan Stadium. Will be curious to hear the official number. A long ball is played to a Panama player in the area, but it’s pounced on by Guzan.
⚽ | #CopaOro2017 Primer aviso de Panamá. #USA 0-0 #PAN https://t.co/Wqt6fmVLOf pic.twitter.com/A3GWxMTnYe
— Univision Deportes (@UnivisionSports) July 8, 2017
1 min: And they’re off on a balmy 87F afternoon in Tennessee! USA attacking from left to right in their brand spanking new Gold Cup home kits, Panama from right to left in all-white strips.
⚽ | #CopaOro2017: ¡Comienza el partido! Sigue el #USA vs #PAN por #UDN y https://t.co/Wqt6fmVLOf ¿Quién ganará? pic.twitter.com/Om4gCRuSM4
— Univision Deportes (@UnivisionSports) July 8, 2017
Updated
The players have emerged from the tunnel and the national anthems are under way. Not much longer now!
Some notes on today’s USA lineup, courtesy of US Soccer’s communications staff.
- Starting XI cap numbers (including this match): Bedoya (62), Guzan (56), Zusi (50), Besler (41), Gonzalez (41), Corona (19), Acosta (10), McCarty (8), Villafaña (8), Dwyer (2), Rowe (2).
- Bruce Arena makes two changes to the team that started last Saturday’s 2-1 win vs. Ghana, inserting defender Omar Gonzalez for Matt Hedges and midfielder Alejandro Bedoya for Paul Arriola.
- Making his 62nd international appearance, Bedoya captains the USMNT for the first time.
- Jorge Villafaña, Kelyn Rowe, Dax McCarty, Dom Dwyer and Kellyn Acosta all make their first Gold Cup appearances.
- Five players took part in the USA’s last meeting with Panama, a 1-1 draw on 28 March in World Cup Qualifying: Acosta, Bedoya, Gonzalez, Villafaña and Graham Zusi.
- Having made his international debut way back in 2009, Saturday’s start marks the first match in official competition for Dax McCarty.
- Zusi has tallied two of his five international goals against Panama. The veteran from Sporting Kansas City recorded his first international goal in a 1-0 friendly win at Panama on 25 January 2012, and also tallied the late equalizer in the USA’s 3-2 win on 15 October 2013 in the final match of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
- Bedoya has recorded two of his nine career assists against Panama in the Gold Cup. The Philadelphia Union midfielder provided the game-winner to Brek Shea to lift the US to a 1-0 win in the 2013 final, and dished to Michael Bradley during the 1-1 draw in the 2015 group stage.
- Having won the Golden Glove as best goalkeeper in the 2015 tournament, Brad Guzan appears in his sevent consecutive Gold Cup match.
- The US is in the midst of an eight-match unbeaten streak, going 4-0-4 while conceding just four goals since Bruce Arena returned as head coach.
- Saturday’s 2-1 win vs. Ghana was Arena’s 75th as manager of the USMNT. He is 75-30-33 in 138 matches.
- The USMNT is 11-1-5 all-time against Panama and has gone 5-1-3 against Los Canaleros in Concacaf Gold Cup play.
The teams!
Here’s a look at today’s lineups. Two changes for the United States with Hedges and Arreola moved to the bench after starting the Ghana friendly.
United States
XI: Guzan, Morrow, Besler, González, Villafaña, Corona, Rowe, Bedoya, McCarty, Zusi, Dwyer
Subs: Hamid, Johnson, Miazga, Lichaj, Hedges, Roldan, Acosta, Pontius, Agudelo, Arriola, Morris, Zardes
Panama
XI: Calderón, Chen, Murillo, Vargas, Ovalle, Bárcenas, Gómez, Camargo, Godoy, Torres, Díaz
Subs: Mosquera, Rodríguez, Davis, Patrick, Escobar, Miller, Cooper, Nuñez, Heraldez, Clarke, Arroyo, Pimentel
Updated
Hello and welcome to today’s Gold Cup group-stage match between the United States and Panama. The Americans are widely favored to win a group that included today’s opponents along with Martinique and Nicaragua (who meet in the second match of today’s doubleheader), but this is hardly a walkover for a US team that’s missing several of its frontline players. Remember: the United States’ lone group-stage loss in Gold Cup play took place against Panama in 2011.
Kickoff at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium is just about 50 minutes away. We’ll be back with the team sheets as soon as that information comes our way!
Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s a look at how our experts see this month’s Gold Cup playing out.
