Gold Cup 2013: Keys to Victory for USA vs. Panama Final

It’s going to take a few more quality victories for the United States to win over its detractors and establish itself as a legitimate contender for the 2014 World Cup. Beating Panama on Sunday would certainly be a good start.

The 2013 Gold Cup has played out as many expected—with a couple notable surprises, the biggest of which highlights just how dangerous Panama is in the final showdown.

Despite Mexico’s recent struggles in international play, few expected El Tri to come up short of the Gold Cup finals for the first time in four editions of the tournament. The favorite to traverse group A and the rest of the competition, Mexico found itself on the wrong end of two stunning upsets, both at the hands of Panama.

Beating Mexico once was impressive. Upending El Tri twice in two attempts warrants a closer look.

The Panamanians haven’t backed down from a challenge in this tournament, and they won’t start Sunday. Just one win away from a Gold Cup trophy—and redemption following a 3-1 penalty shootout loss to the Americans in the 2005 Gold Cup finals—Panama will be prepared.

For the United States to notch its fifth Gold Cup title, a lot is going to have to go right. The same holds true for Panama, however, giving fans a reason to expect a well-played match with plenty of excitement.

Let’s take a look at some keys to victory for both teams in the Gold Cup final, highlighting what fans should be watching for as the United States and Panama square off.

 

Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

When: Sunday, July 28, at 4 p.m. ET

Television/Streaming: Fox, Fox Soccer 2Go

Maintaining Focus

The USMNT hasn’t lacked focus through five Gold Cup matches, but there’s no guarantee the American side will display that same poise against Panama. As noted by Brian Sciaretta of the New York Times, they will be without the orchestrator of their recent 10-match winning streak:

United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann has been instrumental in the team’s recent success and the momentum and cohesion it has developed of late. But according to an official statement by the CONCACAF Disciplinary Committee, his actions late in the team’s 3-1 win over Honduras warranted a one-match suspension:

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Mr. Klinsmann was ejected from the technical area for showing dissent towards the referee by throwing the ball in a violent manner during the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal match against Honduras on July 24, 2013, in Arlington, Texas, USA.

His suspension will be served in the USA’s next match, which is scheduled to take place on July 28, 2013, at the Gold Cup final in Chicago.

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Per the statement, Klinsmann’s suspension cannot be appealed, meaning the USMNT has had a very small amount of time to prepare for the final without their leader at the helm.

For the USMNT to find success against Panama, it will need to find its focus early in the match and hope veteran leadership from the likes of Landon Donovan will be enough to carry the team to its first Gold Cup championship in six years.

Donovan, despite missing four-plus months while taking a sabbatical from the national team, has been absolutely superb in Gold Cup play. With a hand in all three goals against Honduras (two goals and an assist), the 31-year-old brings his goal total for the tournament to five and proves he’s ready to lead the team to a victory Sunday.

It’s often hard to find focus with a leader like Klinsmann away from the sidelines. The United States has the talent to overcome the adversity and notch a victory, but beating Panama isn’t going to be as easy as many probably expected—especially if the Panamanians do the things they need to do to triumph.

Like They’ve Been There Before

Notching a Gold Cup final berth isn’t new for Panama, but it hasn’t been to the final since the 2005 edition. In order to pull off another big upset Sunday, the Panamanians have to play with the confidence of knowing they’ve been through this before and the expectation that the result will be different this time around.

Panama has been fearless in this year’s tournament, winning four matches along the way. With two wins against a Mexican side that was once considered a strong contender for a World Cup trophy, Panama proved it can’t be overlooked.

But confidence was a huge part of those victories, and the Panamanians can’t afford to play timid against the USMNT. Panama had a reason to feel confident in the semifinals after having already beaten Mexico. It won’t have the same track record to lean on in the final.

As noted by Paul Carr of ESPN, Panama has earned just two victories in 12 contests against the U.S.:

With the United States playing this match on its home soil, it may be a tall order for Panama to carry a lot of confidence into this match. In order to come out on top Sunday, the Panamanian side has to play fearlessly and overconfidently—as though it has nothing to lose.

Panama has been tremendous in the defensive third in Gold Cup play, holding opponents to just three goals in five matches. Part of that success stems from an attack that, while scoring more than two goals just once, has been aggressive enough to keep the pressure off its defenders.

That recipe will be crucial against an American side that features two impressive scorers in Donovan and Chris Wondolowski, both of whom lead the tournament with five goals.

Ultimately, a Panama win is going to require a lot of things to go perfectly. The Panamanians won’t have control over every facet of the match, but they can certainly negate some of those factors by playing with poise, confidence and a little reckless abandon.