🇵🇦 How does Panama keep doing it?
Even without some of its biggest stars, the Central Americans look like a shoo-in for the semis. PLUS: How will Mexico approach its quarterfinal against Saudi Arabia?
It just didn’t seem to be Panama’s tournament.
Their most important player, do-it-all midfielder Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla, was missing the Gold Cup because of an injury. So, too, was creative engine Edgar Yoel Barcenas.
Already their thinnest position, both starting forward Jose Fajardo and his likely replacement Cecilio Waterman suffered injuries in World Cup qualification just before the continental championship started.
To top it all iff, it’s not clear Panama cares all that much about this tournament. Sure, Panama would love to get back to the Gold Cup final after arriving there in 2023 and also making this year’s Nations League final. But manager Thomas Christiansen has been consistent in his messaging - even as the Gold Cup knockouts became a reality.
“If you’re telling me: Qualify for the World Cup or win Gold Cup, I’ll go with qualifying for the World Cup,” he said after his team’s 4-1 win over Jamaica. “It’s the most important.”
While the diminutive Dane, who spent most of his career in Spain after joining the FC Barcelona academy as a teenager, is not one to have his head turned by temporary thrills, it’s still a remarkable posture for him to maintain in that moment. Panama just had completed its first-ever Gold Cup group stage in which it achieved all nine possible points. They did with a blowout win against another team favored to make it to the 2026 World Cup.
The truth is, however, big results are becoming de rigueur for this team. A win over the United States in the Concacaf Nations League semifinal? It’s fun, but we did it in the Gold Cup last time, too. Beating Costa Rica for Central American superiority? Which time … WCQ, Nations League or a different game?
With Carrasquilla and Barcenas missing, Panama has thrown it back just a bit to their previous tactics, giving 35-year-old Anibal Godoy an important role in midfield not just to blow up plays but also with the ball at his feet. At times shifting away from the typical five-man back line, Christiansen has opted for a flat four in defense, though still giving right back Michael Amir Murillo plenty of freedom to get into the attack. Murillo pushing up led to the assist on the winning goal against Guatemala in the second group match. He also assisted one of five goals in a tournament-opening win over Guadeloupe and in just two matches ended the group stage as the player with the most chances created.
The forward role hasn’t been filled by one player, with relative unknown Tomás Rodríguez getting unexpected opportunities and scoring twice. Ismael Diaz, who mostly plays out wide but also will attack centrally, and fellow winger José Luis Rodriguez also have picked up the slack, with Diaz scoring a hat trick in the first half against Jamaica - his second Gold Cup in a row bagging three goals in a game.
“Lately, I’m talking a lot about how our game depends on what we do, how we come out in the match, focusing on important things to stop the other team’s strengths,” Christiansen said. “The games we lost (in Nations League and previous tournaments) were more about a lack of punch from us. Experience and these situations make you come into the future with more tools.”
Panama is now getting plenty of that experience as it heads into the quarterfinals. Long established as the best team in Central America, Panama meets another rival from the subregion in Honduras.