The United States can make it two wins from two games at the Copa America this Thursday. Look ahead to the game with our Panama vs United States prediction and preview.
Panama vs United States: The Key Insights
- The Opta supercomputer makes USA the favourites here, winning 54.7% of its 10,000 pre-match simulations.
- After beating Bolivia, the USA could start a Copa America tournament with back-to-back victories for the very first time.
- The USA have only failed to score in one of their previous 19 matches against Panama on home soil.
United States goalkeeper Matt Turner has urged fans of the Copa America hosts not to forget the value of results ahead of Thursday’s clash with Panama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The USA got their Group C campaign up and running with a 2-0 win over Bolivia, with Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun on target.
Some believed Gregg Berhalter’s side should have recorded a more comprehensive victory as they racked up 20 shots on goal to Bolivia’s six.
Nottingham Forest shot-stopper Turner, though, says tournament wins should not be taken for granted.
“We’ll never have that luxury. I think you take wins when you can get wins, no matter the context,” Turner said.
“You take the result, especially in tournament play, it’s the end all be all. I implore people to not lose sight of that.
“Obviously, we wish we did some things better, but that’s what tournaments are about. You want to improve and get better throughout the tournament and keep growing as a team, and a bond and a culture.
“At the end of the day, we got a clean sheet, we scored two goals and we won. Going into this next match, we know we might have to be a little bit better if we want to win.”
Panama, meanwhile, were beaten 3-1 by Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay in their opening match, with Amir Murrillo netting a late consolation after Maximiliano Araújo, Darwin Núñez and Matías Viña scored for the 15-time winners.
“I think we had too much respect for Uruguay, in the first half there were too many mistakes,” head coach Thomas Christiansen said.
“They’re a great team that you have to respect, but I think in moments we were afraid of making a mistake.
“In the second half, we showed this team is alive with enthusiasm and desire. Now it’s time to make another big effort against the United States before ending with Bolivia.”
Players to Watch
Panama: Amir Murillo
Murillo netted a late consolation against Uruguay, also recording the most touches (62) and joint-most touches in the penalty area (four, also José Fajardo) of any Panama player in their opening match.
That game saw Panama surpass 250 completed passes in a Copa America game for the first time. They will not be pushovers in Atlanta, but if they are to really trouble the hosts, they need wing-back Murillo to contribute in the attacking third.
United States: Christian Pulisic
Pulisic provided a goal and an assist as the USA beat Bolivia in their Group C opener, becoming the first American to score and assist in a single Copa America match since Clint Dempsey did so twice in 2016, versus Ecuador and Costa Rica.
Pulisic averages 0.93 goal contributions per 90 minutes in competitive matches for his country, the highest rate in their history (minimum 1,500 minutes played).
The Milan winger also recorded the most line-breaking passes in the attacking third of any player during Group C’s first set of games, with four.
Until the USA’s first match, only Rodrigo De Paul of Argentina had reached that figure in the tournament’s opening round of fixtures.
Panama vs United States Prediction
The Opta supercomputer is backing USA to maintain their unbeaten start at the 2024 Copa America. They won 54.7% of the pre-match simulations.
Panama won just 22.6% of sims, but came away with what would be a credible draw in the remaining 22.7%.
Panama vs United States Squads
Panama
César Samudio, Luis Mejía, Orlando Mosquera, Amir Murillo, César Blackman, Edgardo Fariña, Eduardo Anderson, Éric Davis, Iván Anderson, José Córdoba, Omar Valencia, Roderick Miller, Abdiel Ayarza, Adalberto Carrasquilla, Carlos Harvey, Cristian Martínez, Jovani Welch, César Yanis, Eduardo Guerrero, Freddy Góndola, Ismael Díaz, José Fajardo, Kahiser Lenis, Puma Rodríguez, Yoel Bárcenas.
Head coach: Thomas Christiansen
United States
Ethan Horvath, Matt Turner, Sean Johnson, Antonee Robinson, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Chris Richards, Joe Scally, Kristoffer Lund, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson, Shaq Moore, Tim Ream, Brenden Aaronson, Christian Pulisic, Giovanni Reyna, Johnny Cardoso, Luca de la Torre, Malik Tillman, Timothy Weah, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Folarin Balogun, Haji Wright, Josh Sargent, Ricardo Pepi.
Head coach: Gregg Berhalter
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