Panama vs United States Preview

The United States will look to book their place in the next round of the Copa America when they host Panama at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Panama fell to a 3-1 defeat to Uruguay in their opening group game leaving them with little chance of progressing from this tough group unless they are able to take maximum points from their hosts. The possibility of them winning in this fixture is slim, though, given their history in head-to-head games against the USMNT.

In 26 meetings between both sides, Panama have recorded just one win and that win came in 2021 when they beat the US 1-0 at home. But aside from that narrow win, Los Canaleros have suffered at the hands of the USA, recently losing 5-1 to them at the Inter&Co Stadium in Florida.

However, the most recent meeting between both sides ended goalless. A repeat of that performance may give Julio Dely Valdés’ side something to work with ahead of their final group game against Bolivia. A point here and three points in their last game could be enough to grant them their first knockout experience in the Copa America.

Meanwhile, the US can seal progression to the next round with a game to spare if they win here. The hosts opened the tournament with a professional 2-0 win over Bolivia. The performance at AT&T Stadium was a far cry from their performances during their warm up games.

Fans will be hopeful that their team will be able to produce another big performance and continue their dominant record over Panama. Winning against Panama will ensure that the USMNT qualify from the group stage in back-to-back Copa tournaments having done so in 2016 on their way to the semifinals.