USA vs. Panama Preview
Where: Nissan Stadium – Nashville, TN
When: Saturday, July 8, 2017, 4:30 PM ET
Line: USA -152 vs. Panama +421, tie +217; total 2.0 – view all 2017 Gold Cup lines
TV Broadcast: Fox Sports 1
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Betting on the USMNT (-152)
This USMNT squad will be without a lot of their most recognizable stars—Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Christian Pulisic—but their relatively young and inexperienced team gave a good account of themselves in their most recent 2-1 friendly win over Ghana.
Striker Dom Dwyer, who will likely be leading the line for Bruce Arena’s team, had a dream debut as he scored in his first international cap. Meanwhile, the midfield composed of MLS stalwarts Kelyn Row, Kellyn Acosta, and Dax McCarthy looked good and solid.
The defense figures to be the strongest part of the team, though, with experienced internationals in Matt Besler and Omar Gonzalez unlikely to make too many mistakes.
The Americans will be out for some revenge after they lost out to Panama in the third-place game of the 2015 Gold Cup in a penalty shootout. The USMNT has only lost once in 18 games against Panama during 90 minutes (11 wins, six draws).
Betting on Panama (+421)
Panama will be aiming for another successful Gold Cup campaign in this year’s tournament. Los Canaleros have reached at least the semifinal stage in each of the past three editions. That includes third place finishes in 2011 and 2015, and a runner-up finish in 2013.
However, this will be a much different Panama team compared to previous versions. Veteran strikers Blas Perez and Luis Tejada—the country’s top two all-time leading scorers—were not included in the squad by head coach Henan Dario Gomez. Gabriel Torres (10 goals in 60 caps) is now the team’s most reliable goalscorer with youngsters Abdiel Arroyo and Ricardo Clarke in reserve.
The Panama defense will also be at less than full strength with the absence of Seattle Sounders defender Roman Torres and goalie Jaime Penedo. Nevertheless, the Canaleros always put up a tough fight and won’t give up an inch against the USMNT. They’ve held the US to three consecutive 1-1 draws in their last three meetings.
Writer’s Prediction
The USMNT (-152) kick off their Gold Cup campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win.
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