On June 28 at 06:00, Panama will face the United States in the second round of Group C of the Copa America.
In the first round of the group stage, the United States won 2-0 against Bolivia, while Panama lost 1-3 to Uruguay. After defeating Bolivia in the first round, the US hopes to achieve consecutive victories in the Copa America for the first time. Since the new rotation system was implemented in 1987, every host team in the Copa America has successfully advanced to the knockout stage of the tournament. If the US wins and Uruguay does not lose to Bolivia, this record will be maintained.
In their first match, Panama actually remained competitive for the first 80 minutes, only collapsing in the final stages after conceding two goals in quick succession. If Panama loses and Uruguay defeats Bolivia, Panama will be officially eliminated, marking their second exit from the tournament.
Relevant Data
This is the third consecutive time the US has won in the Copa America group stage, and also their third consecutive clean sheet in the group stage. The average age of the US’s starting lineup in the first match was 25 years and 339 days, with the youngest being 21-year-old right-back Joe Scally.
Adding to their 0-1 loss to Paraguay in their last friendly match before the Copa America, Panama has suffered two consecutive defeats in all competitions. However, in fact, since Christiansen took over as coach in 2020, Panama has never suffered a three-game losing streak. Previously, after losing their last two games in the CONCACAF Nations League, they won consecutive matches against regional teams, and this month they won two World Cup qualifiers, 2-0 and 3-1 respectively.
Head-to-Head Record
Panama has won two of their last three meetings with the US, most recently defeating the US in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-finals via a penalty shootout. However, in the meantime, the US had previously recorded a 5-1 victory over Panama in World Cup qualifying two years ago.
In matches played on US soil, the US has only lost to Panama once in regulation time, in the 2011 Gold Cup group stage, where they lost 1-2 to Panama at MetLife Stadium. On the other hand, the US has only failed to score in one of their 19 matches against Panama on their home turf.
Players to Watch
Panama: Amir Murillo – He scored a consolation goal against Uruguay, and was the Panama player with the most touches (62) and tied for the most touches in the penalty area (4, tied with José Fajardo) in that match. In that game, Panama completed more than 250 passes for the first time in the Copa America. If they really want to cause trouble for the hosts, they need full-back Murillo to contribute more in the attacking third.
USA: Christian Pulisic – He provided a goal and an assist in the US’s opening Group C victory over Bolivia, becoming the first American player to score a goal and provide an assist in a single Copa America match since Landon Donovan in 2016, who did so twice in matches against Ecuador and Costa Rica.
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