Gold Cup 2015: TV Info, Live Stream and Full Preview for USA vs. Panama

The USA and Panama will face off in the third-place match of the 2015 Gold Cup on Saturday at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. Full TV coverage and live streams are available via BT Sport 2 (for UK viewers) and Fox Sports 2 (for U.S. viewers).

Neither team will be particularly happy with the fact it has to play on Saturday as opposed to Sunday's final, as the Yanks were heavy favourites in their semi-final against Jamaica and Panama lost against Mexico in controversial fashion.

There's still plenty to play for on Saturday, however, and at the very least, the hosts should expect a big turnout for what could be DaMarcus Beasley's last match in the national shirt. Manager Jurgen Klinsmann believes the 33-year-old may retire from international duty once again, per the team's official Twitter account:

Beasley's team-mates should be motivated to send the full-back off with a win, and Panama may struggle to put up much resistance after their emotional loss to El Tri. Here's everything you need to know about Saturday's match.

Date: Saturday, July 25

Time: 4 p.m. ET/9 p.m. BST

Venue: PPL Park, Chester, Pennsylvania

TV Info: BT Sport 2 (UK), Fox Sports 2 (USA)

Live Stream Info: BT Sport Online Player, Fox Soccer 2Go

Preview

David Goldman/Associated Press

There's no way around it—Panama's exit at the hands of Mexico in the semi-finals was ugly. Multiple dubious decisions all seemed to go in favour of El Tri, including a harsh red card and a penalty given for an unintentional handball that was the result of a clear foul from the attacker. For those of you who missed out on the highlights, here they are:

The match spiralled out of control late, with plenty of pushing and shoving occurring on the sidelines. Official Mark Geiger was treated to a round of sarcastic applause from the Panama players, who didn't exactly hide their feelings after the match, via BBC Sport:

You can be sure those emotions will impact Panama on Saturday. You don't just get past an eventful match like that. The Panamanian players feel they were cheated out of a spot in the final, and it's hard to turn focus to a different match when tensions and emotions are so high in the dressing room.

In some sense, the same goes for the Americans, who were strong favourites against an opportunistic Jamaican squad. This was the USA's tournament to win, particularly with Mexico showing signs of weakness after the 2015 Copa America.

The pressure to perform was huge, and the team couldn't come through when it mattered the most. Beasley acknowledged the Stars and Stripes simply failed to get the job done:

It's never easy to find the motivation to play for third place, but as disappointed as the Americans may be, it should be far easier for them than for their opponents. The U.S. have Beasley's potential retirement to play for, and at the very least, the team deserves to send off the full-back with a win in front of his own fans after so many years of loyal service.

The USA may not have been at their best during the tournament, with the 6-0 thrashing of Cuba the notable exception, but their form has been better than that of Panama, who still haven't won a match in regulation.

The Americans' 2-1 loss against Jamaica was disappointing, but while it certainly ranks as an upset, it may not have been as big of a shock as some would have you believe. The Dirty Tackle's Brooks Peck explains:

"

Yes, the U.S. are probably the best team in the region, but being the biggest fish in a small pond has a tendency to distort expectations. Even though they had a strong showing at the World Cup and have won a couple of friendlies against world powers recently, they still aren’t above losing to teams that are worse than them in meaningful games. And the margin between Jamaica and the U.S. probably isn’t as wide as many would believe.

At the end of the day, a team of MLS players (the U.S. had 12) with a German manager lost to another team of MLS players (Jamaica had 9) with a German manager. They even had two Premier League players apiece (Brad Guzan and DeAndre Yedlin for the U.S., Wes Morgan and Adrian Mariappa for Jamaica). Granted, that’s an oversimplification, but it’s not like the U.S. rolled in with La Masia trained world beaters to face a rag-tag squad coached by John Candy.

"

In terms of pure quality, Panama are not as strong as Jamaica, and the Reggae Boyz entered their match against the USA in terrific form and with plenty of momentum. Panama lack the star quality the Americans bring to the pitch, and after their loss against Mexico, they don't have any momentum going for them whatsoever.

Is it possible the Panamanians rally and use the loss as motivation to take down the USA? Sure, but it's unlikely. In front of their own fans, with Beasley's possible retirement and Klinsmann in question, don't expect the Stars and Stripes to lose this one.

Follow @ReverschPass