🇺🇸 vs. 🇵🇦 - Getting the Panamanian perspective on today's USMNT friendly
David Sakata fills us in on what the two teams have in common and where they differ.
Good morning! Let’s Get CONCACAFed.
The United States men’s national team meets its counterpart from Panama today, something that would be a pretty normal occurrence considering the teams have met 14 times in the last decade. Today, though, the match is taking place in Austria with the pandemic forcing teams to get creative with their preparations for 2021.
Panama is a much different looking team even from the last time the U.S. met the Central Americans in a 2019 Gold Cup group stage match. Like the U.S., there are some promising players playing in Europe, and Panamanian fans are ready to see their next generation pick up where the last one left off and move things forward.
I chatted with David Sakata, of Diario Pro and COS to get a sense of where the team is at and what to watch for this afternoon:
First of all, Panama is coming off a 1-0 loss to Japan. I thought the Central American side looked better than expected in the first half and worse than I then anticipated in the second 45. What were your takeaways from the first friendly?
This is exactly how I saw it, we definitely had a better first half. And, after the penalty, the game just wasn't the same. Japan has a squad that is fairly more talented and also has much more experience. I think the defensive adjustments never came and the team look tired towards the end.
Stepping back a bit, the U.S. is in an exciting moment with players earning minutes at elite clubs in a level never before seen by the U.S. There are a lot of similarities with Panama. There’s no Pulisic, but tell us about some of the players who have Panama fans excited?
People in Panama are excited about a number of players. Gone are the days of Luis Tejada and Blas Pérez, but some faces remain. Gabriel Torres from the "old guard" is still the main name up front.
However, Andres Andrade in defense (who plays with LASK in Austria), Eduardo Guerrero up top (of Maccabi Tel Aviv), and also Adalberto Carrasquilla (with Cartagena in Spain’s second division) in midfield are ones to consider in this new era. They are all in different levels of European football, but that in itself is something we've never had on national team rosters before.
It’s only match four for Thomas Christiansen but what are the early impressions and what sort of things is he asking the team to do on the field?
There is a positive vibe all around the team and the work they are doing. The feeling is good, and it seems they have a clear idea of what they want to achieve. From that first half against Japan, I liked the order the team showed as well as the discipline in terms of fouls and warnings during the game. We have yet to see the "European Style" in play, but it seems that the change is good so far.
Panama kept its domestic-based players in a bubble environment when it looked like there would be World Cup qualifying in September and then kept training some. Are there some players in the Panamanian league who are expected to be in Christiansen’s long-term plans?
Yes, the best example has to be Cesar Yanis, who started against Japan and put in a very "Alberto Quintero" style of performance during that game. I think the message here is that this coaching staff is going to be paying attention to what happens locally.
Alejandro Yearwood is another name. Given these pandemic times we are living, LPF players have to see that there is a real chance of making the national team as long as their performance is good. And, if for some reason, another player can't make the trip, they have to be ready to step up.
We know you track American sports very closely as Panama’s biggest Saints fan and also the most proud Louisville grad in Central America, but what’s the perception of the U.S. national team among the average media member or fan?
Are people looking at this generation like a team to beat in the Octagonal or are they ready for another 2018 cycle situation?
Go Saints! Go Cards!
People here understand that if you play for Juventus, Barcelona, Chelsea, Dortmund and other UEFA Champions League-level teams, then you HAVE to be good. Either through scouting, or just talent, people are seeing more U.S. players in top clubs, and performing well once they get there.
The fact that the USMNT was able to make this comeback from not making it to Russia to having a top quality national team is no surprise. The big doubt here is if this massive talent pool that the U.S. has is currently coached by someone who is going to make the most of the potential, or if he will stick to a more conservative US-style of coaching.
In the eyes of most, the USMNT is ahead of Mexico based strictly on age and talent, but in terms of head coach, "Tata" leads the way.
Thanks again to David for his thoughts, especially because it was his birthday weekend and he took time away from celebrations to share his insight with us.
Make sure you follow him on Twitter and shoot him a belated birthday wish.
I’ll be back Wednesday with some thoughts from this window. Here’s what we’ve seen and what awaits us:
Nice work, Jon! McKinney resident here, so always have liked your work (particularly with FCD), but excited to see what you can do here moving forward!