Panama vs USA: The 5 Biggest Questions Heading into Wednesday's Game

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As the US are prepared to take on Panama in Panama on Wednesday, there are many questions surrounding this fixture.  Which players will step up? What tactics will both teams use? After an exciting game against Venezuela, one can only hope this game will be as exciting as the last one.

Without further ado, here are the five biggest questions heading into this international friendly.

How Will the US Respond to a Tough Environment?

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This will be the first time Jurgen Klinsmann takes his side into a tough Central American environment.This is very important because the USMNT will inevitably have to go to some very difficult environments during World Cup qualifying.  

The Estadio Rommel Fernandez is a tough place to play and it will be interesting to see if the crowd is able to rattle the young United States squad or if it will pump up the Panamanians.  If the crowd does get to the Americans, they could end up hitting their Achilles heel: conceding in the first fifteen minutes.

Will Panama Be Up to the Occasion?

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Panama were quite a trouble in the Gold Cup.  The United States beat them 1-0 in the semifinal, but it was extremely close and had lost to Panama 2-1 in the group stage.  

If Panama plays as well as they did then they will give the US a lot of problems.  But being an international friendly, one may suspect the Panamanians will play like Venezuela did a few days ago by sitting back and soaking up pressure, then trying to score on the counter with numbers going forward.  

However, Panama will be missing some key players (including Felipe Baloy, a defender who was a nightmare for the US) and they may not have the quality to pull of an upset of sorts.

Where Will the Goals Come From?

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The US did win against Venezuela, but they left it late.  The 97th minute to be exact.  The US can't wait that long to score a goal this time if they want a result.  The question is, where will the goals come from?

The US were disappointing in the final third on Saturday, especially in the first half.  Brek Shea was really disappointing and none of the attacking players had impressive performances. Teal Bunbury was encouraging at times, but I thought the best threat was Chris Wondolowski.  He came on as a sub and energized the attack while getting a couple of shots on goal.  Ricardo Clark played poorly until that goal rescued his performance.

Who Will Make Their Imprints on the National Team?

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There were several players with strong performances on Saturday night.  Geoff Cameron had great distribution and always seemed to be in the right position.  Jeff Parkhurst also had a solid game in the back, making sure nothing got past the defense (I'm not sure if Venezuela got a shot on goal all night). Benny Feilhaber had a good game, too, making some nice passes and opening up the field without stretching it too much, which really benefited the US.  

If these or other players who have not had many chances with the national team turn in good performances, they could make their mark on the fans and Jurgen Klinsmann for a long time to come.

Will the United States Get a Win?

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This is the question that everyone wants to know the answer to.  You would have to say the US controlled the run of play against Venezuela, but they were disappointing in the final third and lacked that drop of creativity to completely open up the attacking game.  If they play like this against Panama, they would be lucky to escape with a win.  However, I think Klinsmann will make the necessary changes and they will get the win.  

My prediction: Panama 1-2 United States