Gold Cup 2013: Preview and Viewing Info for USA vs. Panama Final

The United States men's soccer team heads into their Gold Cup final match Sunday against Panama on the greatest streak in the country's history.

The United States have won 10 straight games, a record streak that has obliterated their previous mark. They've outscored opponents 19-4 through their first five Gold Cup contests, a dominant stretch that has seen the country find stars it never knew existed. As the host country for the event, most considered the United States a heavy favorite to defeat the upstart Panamanian squad. 

At least they did. In a controversial decision that drew plenty of negativity stateside, CONCACAF's disciplinary board decided to suspend coach Jurgen Klinsmann for Sunday's match for actions in the country's semifinal win over Honduras.

Klinsmann was thrown out of that 3-1 United States victory in the 87th minute, after spiking a ball to the ground and vehemently arguing fouls should have been called against the aggressive Hondurans. The CONCACAF officials cited Klinsmann's tossing of the ball in a "violent manner," per Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl.

While it's unclear how much of an effect Klinsmann's suspension may have—he'll be replaced by top assistant Martin Vasquez—it added yet another layer of intrigue to what should already have been a great match.

Panama reached their second Gold Cup finale in history by doing the near-unthinkable—defeating Mexico. The Panamanian national team shocked El Tri 2-1 in their semifinal match Wednesday, ending the Mexicans' bid for a three-peat. Panama's win over Mexico was no small deal, either. They had come into the Gold Cup winless against El Tri in their history, only to defeat them twice in the same tournament.

Panama will have a similarly daunting task ahead Sunday. The United States were the victor during Panama's first chance at Gold Cup glory. Could Panama pull off the unthinkable twice? Let's check in with a complete preview of the match and find out. 

Event Info

When: Sunday, July 28, at 4 p.m. ET

Where: Soldier Field in Chicago

TV: Fox

Stream: Fox Soccer 2Go

Preview and Prediction

The United States were put in an interesting position heading into this match from the moment Klinsmann got suspended. While almost the entirety of their game plan will be drawn out in Sharpie prior to the match—thus done by Klinsmann—the coach's absence gives them a dichotomy between results.

In the event of a win, it will have been Klinsmann's pregame planning and the steady stewardship of Vasquez that saved the day. If the opposite result comes forth, however, the United States have a built-in excuse. Had CONCACAF officials not gone power hungry and decided to unjustly suspend Klinsmann—paraphrasing the team's assumed reaction here—then perhaps it'd be the USMNT hoisting the trophy.

It's impossible to ignore the Klinsmann effect, just as it's impossible to quantify it. Doing so is like trying to quantify what happens when a baseball manager is suspended for a game—no one knows quite what to say.

So with that, we'll just study the facts here. The fact is that the United States have been an unalienable force of dominance during Gold Cup play. At no point in any of their matches did they even look remotely close to faltering, nor has their armor shown any cracks thus far.

The interesting thing is that the United States have somehow avoided facing any team of Panama's caliber thus far. By the luck of the draw and virtue of their own strong play, the USMNT have played a relatively relaxed schedule. Even though Honduras were dominant on the defensive end, grabbing three clean sheets before playing the United States, the talent discrepancy was obvious from the outset.

That won't necessarily be the case Sunday. Panama have pushed their way to the final on the backs of excellent individual performances and the commitment to staying ahead when they get the lead—not too much unlike the United States.

Gabriel Torres has had the tournament of his life with five goals, tying the two United States heroes (Landon Donovan and Chris Wondolowski) for tops in the event. He'll present an interesting challenge for the USMNT defenders, who have not had to deal with someone on such a streak. It will be a solid matchup if Panama are able to get deep into the zone.

The answer to whether Torres will be able to find holes in the defense will likely come down to the midfield battle between Stuart Holden and Gabriel Gomez. Holden has acquitted himself beautifully thus far.

As Donovan and Wondolowski have been the most spectacular players in the Gold Cup, Holden's steadying excellence in the midfield is perhaps the most underrated factor in the United States' run. He'll have a handful to deal with in Gomez, though—a man who has helped Alberto Quintero in creating opportunities for the Panamanian squad.

Jose Torres and Marcos Sanchez should also provide tactical fans an interesting battle. Neither has seen their name in the press all that much during this event, but they're both solid, effective players who won't have any trouble on this stage.

All of these individual matchups point toward Panama sticking around in this match. They're not going to be daunted by the way the United States have run through this tournament. The Panamanians have done the same, arguably against a more difficult schedule.

That said, from a purely on-paper standpoint, they're likely to share a similar fate to the United States' previous five victims. The USMNT have done an excellent job of controlling the tempo in their matches, starting off in all-out attack mode before shifting to a defensive-minded strategy once the match is firmly in their hands.

If there is one aspect Panama have struggled with during the Gold Cup, it's been their relative sluggishness during the first 20 or so minutes.

That won't fly against the United States—Klinsmann or not.

Donovan is playing some of the best soccer of his career, Wondolowski is a major wild card, and DaMarcus Beasley has been outspoken about his desire to honor Klinsmann's absence with a win. The talent discrepancy between these two countries isn't as great as it was with Honduras, but it exists.

Expect another two-goal victory for the United States, as they cruise to their fifth Gold Cup championship.

Score Prediction: United States 3, Panama 1

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