Gold Cup 2013 Results: Keys for Semifinal Winners USA and Panama in Final

The United States and Panama both took care of business on Wednesday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, each club scoring first and last in their respective semifinal match to book a trip to Sunday's 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup final in Chicago.

Landon Donovan powered the Stars and Stripes to a comfortable victory over Honduras in the first semifinal. In the second matchup, Panama rode yet another dominant defensive performance to a win over Mexico, its second of the tournament.

Below we'll take a look at the latest 2013 Gold Cup results and break down some of the keys for both teams in Sunday's championship showdown.

USA Must Be Aggressive on the Attack

It sounds both obvious and simple, and it is. But if the United States is smart, they will look to push the tempo and the ball up field on every opportunity they get on Sunday.

Having scored a tournament-leading 19 goals through five matches, there's clearly no team more explosive than the U.S., which possesses dangerous individual talents like Landon Donovan and Chris Wondolowski, who have each netted five goals this summer.

We've seen the U.S. catch opposing defenses off guard a number of times in previous Gold Cup matches this July, including in Wednesday's semifinal win over Honduras.

Against a defense as stout as Panama's, turning defense into offense will be critical for Jurgen Klinsmann's side. The less time the Americans give Panama to recover, the better their scoring chances will be. 

Panama Must Remain Compact Defensively

Only Costa Rica, which was eliminated in the quarterfinals last weekend, has conceded fewer goals than Panama at the Gold Cup this July. The Central Americans have surrendered just three through five matches.

On Sunday, it will be vital that Los Canaleros stay compact defensively as they get set to take on the most explosive attack at this summer's tournament.

The U.S. has scored at least three goals in four of its five matches coming in, and if Panama doesn't play smart and disciplined defense, the Americans will surely make them pay. 

Panama's intelligent defending is the biggest reason why it'll be playing for all the marbles on Sunday. In the semis, Mexico dominated possession (59-41) and recorded twice as many shots, but the Central Americans limited El Tri's good looks at goal and can do the same to the U.S. with a similar game plan.

USA Must Convert on Tackles 

Often an underrated statistic in football, tackles can sometimes hold the key to how a team performs defensively. 

To this point in the Gold Cup, the U.S.'s defense has been underrated in that regard, due in large part to the squad's offensive dominance. But keep in mind that the Americans have 44 total tackles since the start of the knockout stage last weekend.

The U.S. recorded 22 tackles against El Salvador in the quarters and 22 more against Honduras in the semis. On Sunday, DaMarcus Beasley and company will need to put up a similar figure against Panama in order to emerge victorious. 

A high number of successful tackles means that the U.S. defense is active and aggressively shutting down the opposing attack. With Panama determined to turn Sunday's final into a defensive struggle, the Americans must be prepared for a grinding match.

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