USA vs. Panama: Score and Twitter Reaction for 2015 International Friendly

The United States recorded an easy 2-0 win over Panama on Sunday at the StubHub Center in Los Angeles, scoring twice in the first half and easily defending the lead in the second.      

A number of substitutions after halftime saw the pace of the match drop considerably, but the U.S. men's national team starters and a number of debutants looked excellent in the first half, which is an encouraging sign as the team prepares for the 2015 Gold Cup.

Goal.com's Ives Galarcep was excited to see the Stars and Stripes in action and had high hopes for Los Angeles Galaxy forward Gyasi Zardes' first start for USA:

The visitors had the brighter start, as several of USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann's players seemed to be sleepwalking though the first minutes. Jermaine Jones' first pass was an absolute disaster, as he sent the ball straight out of play.

Not to be outdone, DeAndre Yedlin then gave up a corner kick with an awful pass, allowing Panama to get the first shot on goal.

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Michael Bradley took the reins early and established himself as the focal point of the Yanks' attack, and the veteran appeared to be in good form. Zardes also looked more than solid in his first start, playing with confidence and holding his own in the physical battles.

Panama were still the more dangerous side, but that all changed when Bradley sent in a corner just before the half-hour mark. The ball cleared everyone and landed near the top corner at the far post, shocking everyone in attendance, including Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl:

Galarcep thought the midfield ace was deserving of a goal given his great start to the match:

USA then took full control of the match and quickly doubled their advantage, as Zardes set up Clint Dempsey with an excellent ball. The Seattle Sounders striker didn't miss, to the delight of Galarcep:

Matt Besler nearly teed up Panama's Blas Perez to pull one back minutes before halftime. The center-back slipped, which allowed Perez a free shot on goal. Fortunately for Besler, USMNT goalkeeper Nick Rimando had positioned himself well to deal with the shot.

At halftime, Fox Soccer Trax was more than satisfied with the United States' performance:

However, ESPN's Paul Carr did warn fans of the Yanks' less-than-stellar track record in the second half:

Both teams predictably made a host of substitutions to start the second half, but Klinsmann rewarded Zardes' excellent first half, allowing the Galaxy forward to carry on.

Jozy Altidore was one of many to stay in the dressing room, but per ESPN's Doug McIntyre, his substitution was injury-related:

Jones should have made it 3-0 after an hour of play, firing an open header right at Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo. Bradley once again provided the midfielder with the chance.

Chris Wondolowski also had a handful of minor chances to increase the hosts' lead, but his first touch let him down on Sunday, allowing defenders to intervene at the last second.

New England Revolution hero Lee Nguyen was introduced late in the match, something Wahl hopes will change at some point in the near future:

The final 20 minutes of the match hardly produced any action of note, as Klinsmann's side easily held on for a comfortable win. All in all, Panama hardly threatened the Yanks throughout the match, and the main takeaways for Klinsmann will be the form of Bradley ahead of the upcoming MLS season and the fine performance of Zardes.

Per Carr, the team snapped a three-match losing streak, a much-needed result for Klinsmann's young squad:

As shared by Galarcep, Klinsmann says his main focus is on the Rio Olympics, and in that regard, the fine performance of some of the younger players on Saturday is a very positive sign:

The USMNT will be in action again in late March, as the squad will take a trip to Europe to face Denmark and Switzerland.

Those matches will pit the team against two of Europe's up-and-coming young sides in the perfect preparation for the 2015 Gold Cup, which will take place in July.

Follow @ReverschPass