Panama Upset United States Men's Team to Reach the 2023 Gold Cup Final
Concacaf | 2023 Gold Cup
Panama’s goalkeeper, Orlando Mosquera, saved the first penalty, denying Jesús Ferreira of the United States.
July 13, 2023
Gasner Delvarin Jr, Writer
San Diego, Calif. - Panama upset the United States in the penalty shootout 5-4 at Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, California, after a draw 1-1 in regular time and 30 minutes of extra time. They advance to the 2023 Gold Cup Final, expecting to lift their first-ever championship on Sunday, 16, at the SoFI Stadium.
Leading into this game, Panama is not an estrange to the U.S. as both teams met in the past at this tournament. These two teams met in the 2013 final, where the United States emerged victorious with a 69th-minute goal by Brek Shea and en route to lift the trophy in that Gold Cup Edition.
Two years later, the teams also crossed paths in the third-place game of the 2015 Gold Cup, with Panama defeating the United States in a penalty shootout.
In the semifinal of 2023, Panama dominated with the possession of the ball in the first half, besides almost conceiving a goal within the first minute of the game.
The U.S. started the game with the first opportunity to score when Brandon Vazquez passed the ball to Cade Cowell, who struck the outer of the goalpost.
However, Panama started to impose their presence in the 11th minute of the game, with their first opportunity when Ismael Diaz whipped a cross inside the box for Jose Fajardo; nonetheless, Matt Turner thwarted his attempt by diving to push it away.
Panama stayed aggressive on the attack and started to celebrate a goal in the 27th minute when Édgar Bárcenas snuck behind the defense to put the ball in the back of the net. However, the referee pulled it back because he was in the offside position.
In the second quarter, Bárcenas put up an early cross from the right wing in the 53rd minute to Diaz, who indirectly headed the ball on target by pounding it on the grass to trick the goalkeeper. But the ball went to Turner and deflected it out on the net for a corner.
The U.S. responded better to the attack in the second half with the substitutions. DeAndre Yedlin, who subbed in the 61st minute, provided some energy on the right-wing offense. He created an opportunity for Jesús Ferreira from the right wing when he cut back a cross into the box for the incoming Ferreira shot, which scrapped the outer post.
Eventually, the initial 90 minutes needed extra time for the two teams to find the back of the net.
In the 99th minute, Panama seized the advantage when Adalberto Carrasquilla played a lofted pass to Ivan Anderson. He dribbled passed Turner, who ventured out of his box and neatly finished with a semi-volley for his first-ever goal for Panama, giving them the lead 1-0.
For the USMNT, it was the first time in the team's history that they went back-to-back games in extra time in a Gold Cup. After conceding the goal, they pulled through from a free-kick set play. Jordan Morris, who subbed in the game, redirected the header to Ferreira and leveled the score at 1-1 with a top volley finish.
The game moved on to the penalty shootout, where Orlando Mosquera saved Jesús Ferreira's attempt. Anderson converted his penalty from the spot. Djordje Mihailovic equalized to 1-1, followed by Ismael Diaz scoring to give Panama a 2-1 lead. Jordan Morrison equalized to 2-2, but the U.S. found some oxygen when Matt Turner saved Cristian Martínez's shot.
After a back-and-forth from the spot that forced an additional round of penalties, Cristian Roldán initiated the next round, but Mosquera denied him. Carrasquilla, with calm composure, placed the ball in the net, granting Panama a 5-4 victory in the penalty shootout and securing their place in the final since their first appearance in 2013.
Since 2015 the U.S. has not missed the finals of a Gold Cup appearance. Now, the team shifted its focus to defending the Concacaf Nations League.
Panama advances to the Final and will battle Mexico for its first trophy in the Gold Cup at SoFi Stadium on July 16, 7:30 p.m.
2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, United States, Panama, Édgar Bárcenas, Ivan Anderson, Ismael Díaz, Cristian Roldan, Jesús Ferreira, Orlando Mosquera, Matt Turner, Jordan Morris, Cristian Martínez, Adalberto Carrasquilla, Gasner Delvarin Jr., Sports Action Rundown