Copa America team preview: Dark horses Panama aim to stun the giants in US | Football News

In their second appearance in Copa America, Panama will hope for a better show in this year’s edition in the US.

Panama Football team (Photo: Getty Images)

New Delhi: Ranked 41 in the FIFA rankings, Panama will hope to enjoy a memorable campaign in the upcoming Copa America 2024. They have made some impressive progress in recent years. Although they may be dark horses in the competition, they bring a lot of excitement because their football has improved in recent years. 

This is a much better side than the one that participated in the 2016 Copa America. They lost two of their three games in 2016, though they won their opening games 2-1 against Bolivia. The Central American team will hope their second appearance in the competition in the United States will be more successful.

Thomas Christiansen, Panama’s manager since 2020, has built a unit that can occasionally challenge and upset top contenders in any competition. They are part of a group that includes Uruguay, the USA, and Bolivia. This will be a new kind of challenge for this team.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Orlando Mosquera, Luis Mejía, César Samudio

Defenders: Fidel Escobar, Eduardo Anderson, José Córdoba, Éric Davis, Iván Anderson, Michael Murillo, Cesar Blackman, Edgardo Fariña, Roderick Miller, Martín Krug

Midfielders: Aníbal Godoy, Adalberto Carrasquilla, Cristian Martínez, José Luis Rodríguez, Édgar Bárcenas, Jovani Welch, Freddy Góndola, Carlos Harvey, Abdiel Ayarza, César Yanis

Forwards: Ismael Díaz, José Fajardo, Eduardo Guerrero, Cecilio Waterman 

Player to watch out for: Anibal Godoy

Panama midfielder Anibal Godoy (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Anibal Godoy is one of Panama’s most experienced players, with 136 appearances for the team. He is the team’s captain, and Panama’s success will depend on how he turns up for the tournament. He has wide experience playing for clubs and has been part of Nashville SC since 2020.

The midfielder has played in seven editions of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. In Panama’s only appearance in the FIFA World Cup, he started in all three matches. The 34-year-old maintains his energy on the field with defensive tenacity. He can motivate and marshall his troops well.

Panama’s goalpost will most likely be in the safe hands of the experienced Luis Mejia. The 33-year-old has represented the country in 52 games. He has been part of champion teams like Mallorca B in Spain and Toulouse in France.

Adalberto Carrasquilla has been in a good spot in his career, playing for the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer. The 25-year-old has represented his national side for 54 games, scoring two goals. The midfielder will be a key player as he can carry the ball and connect with his teammates with simple passes and vertically play the ball. In his preferred area, he can bring a big advantage to Panama.

Rising Star: Jose Cordoba

SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA – NOVEMBER 16: José Córdoba of Panama looks on prior a first leg quarter final match between Costa Rica and Panama as part of CONCACAF Nations League 2023 at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá on November 16, 2023 in San Jose, Costa Rica. (Photo by John Duran/Getty Images)

Jose Cordoba is Panama’s young energy on the field. The centre-back has played 14 games for his team and could be the next big name from Panama. Since 2022, he has played for Levski Sofia and has appeared in 66 games, making three assists for the team. Panama will hope his experience with the Bulgarian outfit may aid the team in better performance.

Prediction

Panama doesn’t look like the strongest unit in the tournament and will surprise everyone if they make it out of the group stage. Their biggest hurdle in the group stage are Uruguay, who are a strong contender for making it to the quarter-finals. They are followed by a young but talented USA side. One of the obvious struggles Panama may face as a unit is their relatively slower pace than that of Uruguay and the USA.

With the services of Godoy, Ismael Diaz, and Carrasquilla, they still lack the quality to advance to the tournament’s next stage. They failed to score a single goal in their games against Mexico and Jamaica.

Most will predict that Panama will finish third in group C. One reason for Panama’s previous failures has been its lack of tactical flexibility and creativity in scoring goals. Against stronger teams, it will be difficult for them to create opportunities and score goals.

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Publish date : 2024-06-13 02:55:05

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