CARSON, Calif. — The last time the U.S. national team faced Panama in tournament play, Los Canaleros stunned the Americans with a 2-1 win that effectively knocked the Copa América hosts out of last summer’s competition in the first round — a failure so epic it cost then-coach Gregg Berhalter his job.
The USMNT has met and beaten Panama since then, last October in Mauricio Pochettino’s first game at the helm. But that match was only a friendly. Thursday night’s encounter (kickoff at 7 p.m. ET) is the real deal, with the two longtime Concacaf rivals vying for a spot in Sunday’s Nations League final at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, with the U.S. aiming for a fourth consecutive trophy. Given the stakes, how much is last summer’s debacle on their minds? That depends on who you ask.
“I think we’ve gotten past that,” U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie told reporters before Pochettino’s squad worked out at the LA Galaxy’s training facility on Wednesday. “We just want to hold no emotions and negative energy against [them]. Hopefully we go on the field and we treat it like another game — like any other game we want to win.”
Defender Joe Scally had a different take.
“Of course we always look back at the Copa América, where we lost, and that kind of knocked us out of the tournament,” admitted Scally.
Either way, the stakes are clear. The U.S. must beat Panama to advance to the finale against the winner of Thursday’s nightcap between Canada and Mexico. The hosts are the favorite. But as recent history suggests, the visitors won’t go quietly.
For more than a decade now, this has been a trap game for the USMNT. Panama beat a full-strength U.S. squad in the 2011 and 2015 Gold Cup. They did it again against an American B-team in 2023. Last summer was the big one, though, and it was largely self-inflicted; the U.S. played most of the contest with 10-men after forward Tim Weah was sent off in the first half.
Another chippy game is surely in the cards on Thursday.
“They’re always difficult games, they’re always intense games, physical, and we don’t expect anything less,” defender Tim Ream said.
USMNT vs. Panama: Preview & Who’s in the Starting XI? | SOTU
“We’re fully versed on the challenges that they pose. But at the same time, we have to focus on ourselves and go out there and make sure that we’re doing what we need to do to continue to be the champions in this competition.”
That starts with scoring goals.
The U.S. is without its top two strikers this month, the injured Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi. But their absence has provided a colossal opportunity for veteran forward Josh Sargent. Sargent, who started two of three group games at the 2022 World Cup before getting injured in the knockout stage-clinching win over Iran, hasn’t scored for his country since 2019. But he’s been in blistering form for his club, with eight goals in his last 10 appearances for Norwich City in England’s second tier.
“We’re happy to have him,” McKennie said of Sargent. “He’s like a brother for all of us.”
Attacker Gio Reyna is involved for the first time under Pochettino, having been hurt for the Argentine’s first two camps in charge last fall. The 22-year-old Reyna was named the Nations League’s top player last year after scoring the championship-clinching goal in a 2-0 win over Mexico, the American’s fiercest rival.
While Reyna has found minutes hard to come by for German titans Borussia Dortmund this season and seems unlikely to start for the U.S. this month, he has the ability to win a match coming off the bench.
“We all know what Gio can do regardless of the situation,” star forward Christian Pulisic said on Wednesday.
Being stingy in their own half will be crucial, too. Having rugged defensive midfielder Tyler Adams back for the first time following his post-Copa back surgery could go a long way toward that end. Adams’ on- and off-field leadership is just as huge, especially with standout left back Antonee “Jedi” Robinson — U.S. Soccer’s male athlete of the year in 2024 — having to withdraw from the roster on Tuesday because of an undisclosed ailment.
“Just for the vibe in the locker room and in the hotel and everything, it’s such a big addition,” Scally said of Adams, who served as the U.S. captain at Qatar 2022. “Also, his aggressiveness is definitely something that we missed.”
Whoever is in Pochettino’s lineup, the holders are determined to retain their title. That they’ll need to exact revenge on Panama to earn that opportunity is an added bonus.
“We’re excited for the challenge,” Pulisic said. “Of course, the other teams, they’re going to want to take it from us. And we’re going to fight.
“Now is when it matters,” Pulisic added. “We’re two good performances away from winning a trophy. So that’s what it’s gonna take.”
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports who has covered the United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him at @ByDougMcIntyre.
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