USMNT will be fighting fatigue in Gold Cup semifinal vs. Panama

A great Panama squad stands between the U.S. men’s national team and a spot in Sunday’s CONCACAF Gold Cup closing, however the Americans will be fighting one other formidable opponent in Wednesday’s semis in San Diego (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1/FOX Deportes): Fatigue.

After logging 120 minutes in their final outing, a thrilling penalty-kick win over northern rival (and fellow 2022 World Cup participant) Canada, the hosts may have some drained legs in opposition to Los Canaleros at Snapdragon Stadium. The Panamanians, who brushed apart invited visitor Qatar 4-0 in their quarterfinal on the energy of Ismael Diaz’s hat trick, even have an additional day of relaxation.

Add in the emotional rollercoaster of the USMNT’s comeback victory, and it appears apparent which of the 2 groups will be more energizing. It’s some extent interim U.S. coach didn’t even attempt to dispute Tuesday when talking to reporters at his pre-game press convention.  

“I see a group that’s confident, that was able to get through a tough game and prove to ourselves that we have that resilience and relentlessness to compete 120 total minutes, and obviously whenever you do that it takes a bit of a physical toll,” Callaghan stated of his workforce. “But the group has been committed since the moment the match ended to begin to use every bit of recovery strategies that we have, and the staff was all hands on deck to make this happen. And the recovery of the players has been going really well.”

It had higher be. At each this Gold Cup and ultimately month’s CONCACAF Nations League, Panama has impressed. Panama gave regional heavyweight Mexico all it may deal with in the latter event’s third place match. They constructed on that efficiency at this occasion, reeling off group stage wins over Costa Rica and Martinique and practically added one other in opposition to El Salvador, which stole some extent with a stoppage time objective in the first-round finale.

Panama vs. Qatar Highlights | CONCACAF Gold Cup

The U.S. received its most up-to-date assembly with Panama, a World Cup qualifier in March of 2022, 5-1. But over time, the Central Americans have simply as usually been a thorn in the USMNT’s facet. The Central Americans certified for the 2018 World Cup forward of the U.S. They beat them in Panama City final 12 months in a qualifying match for the 2022 World Cup. And in the Gold Cup they’ve fared significantly nicely, handing the U.S. its first group-stage defeat in 2011 and beating the hosts on penalties in the third-place recreation 4 years later.

Panama additionally boasts top-of-the-line coaches in CONCACAF in former Barcelona striker Thomas Christiansen, who has been on the helm since 2020.

“Since coach Christiansen has taken over this team, you can see the growth every time that we have an opportunity to play them,” Callaghan stated. “Very well organized, have shown a lot of variety and adaptability in terms of their tactics. They have an ability to beat you in many different ways, with a lot of dangerous players.”

The excellent news for the Americans is that they know precisely what to anticipate. Even with Christian Pulisic and a lot of the different regulars who confronted Panama throughout 2022 World Cup qualifying on trip this month earlier than reporting for preseason coaching with their European golf equipment, there’s familiarity. Two key Canaleros midfielders, Anibal Godoy and Adalberto Carrasquilla, play professionally stateside, with Nashville SC and the Houston Dynamo respectively.

“I think a lot of us have experienced playing against them just in MLS,” stated U.S. midfielder James Sands, arguably the second-best U.S. participant up to now behind Golden Boot chief Jesús Ferreira. “We know they’re good players. For us, it’s just about trying to play our game and trying to dictate the game as much as possible. And a lot of that starts in the midfield.”

Still, the sport may be determined elsewhere. Ferreira didn’t rating in opposition to Canada, however cooly buried his shootout try and absolutely is set to show that he can rating in a knockout stage recreation. Target striker Brandon Vazquez notched his third objective of the event off the bench on Sunday.

“You can see that he’s a real dangerous threat inside the penalty box,” Callaghan stated of the San Diego native. “We’re confident that we have a lot of players on the field that can score in a variety of ways.”

In the U.S. objective is its solely World Cup starter, Matt Turner, who made two saves on the Canadians in the tiebreaker. And as was the case on Sunday in Cincinnati, the Americans are anticipating a big crowd of largely U.S. supporters on Wednesday. “I think makes us even more motivated to have a great performance,” Callaghan stated of the reception his squad has gotten in the Californian border metropolis.

Given the short turnaround and the grudge match that preceded it, the U.S. will take each benefit it may well get.  

“We’re expecting a team that’s going to play with a lot of intensity,” Callaghan stated of Panama.

We’ll quickly discover out if the Americans have sufficient left in them to match it.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer author for FOX Sports. Before becoming a member of FOX Sports in 2021, he was a employees author with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has lined United States males’s and girls’s nationwide groups at a number of FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.

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