USA vs Panama: Offense Needs to Shape Up If USA Has Any Chance

The defense may have been dominant in the U.S. men's 1-0 shutout of Venezuela last weekend, but the offense needs to shape up if the USA is to knock off Panama in its friendly on Wednesday.

Against Venezuela, USA's offense didn't come around until the end of the match, with Ricardo Clark heading home a cross from Jermaine Jones in the 97th minute. That simply cannot happen regularly if the USA is to make its mark this season.

The defense allowed just six shots on target against Venezuela, a remarkable number. Players such as A.J. DeLaGarza, Geoff Cameron and Heath Pearce contributed to the defensive performance and goalkeeper Hamid recorded his first shutout with his first senior cap.

But the offense had several opportunities to swing home a goal throughout regulation and simply didn't get it done. Part of this is inexperience. Brek Shea, as talented as he is, missed on two opportunities himself.

Panama has impressed this season. Coming off a 2-0 victory over Costa Rica, the offense is worlds better than what the U.S. saw from Venezuela. Dallas’ Blas Pérez and the Philadelphia Union’s Gabriel Gómez were on target for Panama, and they comprise a duo that the U.S. will have a hard time limiting. Pérez in particular scored 19 goals in 23 starts with Léon in Mexico’s second division in his last full season.

The U.S. needs to get better at converting its opportunities. The team took 19 shots against Venezuela, only to see four of them end up on target. Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has been criticized for the squad's offense as a whole, with the U.S. scoring only six goals in eight games (three against Slovenia).

Clark made a statement against Venezuela and the U.S. would like to see more like that from him. Shea still has the ability to be a difference-maker against Panama.

If the U.S. is to beat Panama on Wednesday, expect strong performances to come from these two.