Them brothas did the damn thang!

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)—Luis Tejada scored in the 19th minute, Gabriel Gomez converted a penalty kick later in the first half and Panama stunned the United States 2-1 on Saturday night to advance to the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup.

The victory was the first for the Panamanians in nine meetings with the Americans, who had never lost a match in the group stage of any Gold Cup, the tournament that determines the champion for North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Despite the loss, the U.S. can clinch a spot in the quarterfinals by beating Guadaloupe in its final Group C stage match Tuesday night in Kansas City.

Tejada finished a sequence that began with Nelson Barahona’s free kick, tapping in a rebound after U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard lunged to get on a hand on Armando Cooper’s header from left of the net. American Tim Ream’s foul set up Gomez’s penalty kick, which the Panamanian lifted over the diving Howard for a 2-0 lead in the 36th minute.

Clarence Goodson gave the U.S. hope for a dramatic comeback, scoring in the 68th minute. The Americans had a couple of opportunities pull even, but Chris Wondolowski missed a wide-open net in the 80th minute and Jaime Penedo made two of his six saves in injury time to help Panama hang on.

The loss was just the second for the Americans in their past 21 Gold Cup games. They had been 6-0-2 against Panama, with all the meetings coming in either Gold Cup or World Cup qualifying.

Despite defeating Panama in the past three Gold Cups, the Americans stressed they could not overlook the Panamanians because each of those games had been close.

The teams played to a scoreless draw in the 2005 final, with the U.S. winning a penalty shootout to take the championship. They met in the quarterfinals in 2007 and 2009, with Panama losing 2-1 each time.

Panama opened the tournament with a 3-2 victory over Guadeloupe and beating the Americans gave it consecutive Gold Cup wins for the first time.

The U.S. began its quest with a 2-0 win over Canada, but wasn’t near as sharp in falling behind the aggressive Panamanians, who used their quickness and athletic ability to create numerous opportunities.

NOTES: There were 35 fouls—18 on the U.S., 17 on Panama. … The U.S. is 24-1-2 all-time in Gold Cup group play. … Panama improved to 1-3-1 against the Americans in Gold Cup. … Freddy Adu was among five players who were not active for the U.S. The midfielder also was inactive for the tournament opener against Canada.

[Edited 6/26/11 10:23am]

you live in Panama?

Panama loss exposes U.S. flaws

The most extraordinary defeat of Bob Bradley’s United States national team reign left the Americans’ Gold Cup campaign on shaky ground and its coach facing a fresh wave of criticism.

USA’s 2-1 loss to Panama in Tampa on Saturday piled the pressure on Bradley and his players and brought into stark focus that the side is facing very real problems that urgently need addressing.

Bradley’s men were stunned by the underdog Panamanians, ranked 67th in the world and sixth in the CONCACAF region, throwing the Americans’ predicted run through the tournament off course in only its second game.

The result does not affect the possibility of a dream final against Mexico, but any sense of a feel-good factor that surrounded the Americans was emphatically wiped away on a steamy night in Florida.

Saturday’s disaster was a serious embarrassment regardless of what else happens in the tournament – a warning sign to the USA that its current crop is in a definite form slump.

Bradley knows his players are fully capable of responding and going on to lift the trophy the Americans last won in 2007. However, this was a significant confidence shaker and a wake-up call that not all is well.

A chance to bounce back presents itself against one of the weakest teams in the Gold Cup, Guadeloupe, in Kansas City on Tuesday. But what Bradley really will be looking for is a genuine victory against a respected opponent to both lift spirits and ease pressure on himself.

Assuming the USA finishes in second place behind Panama in Group C, it likely would face Jamaica in the quarterfinal, a game for which the Americans would be a strong favorite despite Saturday’s slip.

But Bradley and the American soccer public know there are serious issues to address before he can start to feel positive about the future prospects of this team, with an eye already turning toward the 2014 World Cup. These are times of limbo for the squad, with several players heading to the twilight of their careers and a crop of emerging youngsters not quite ready for full international responsibility.

The defense looks particularly shaky, highlighted by the troubles that youngster Tim Ream experienced against a lively Panama attacking formation. Ream’s central defensive partner Clarence Goodson got the USA’s only goal but was far from solid at the back, and Bradley is well aware that greater stability is required.

Goodson’s effort in the 66th minute was too little, too late, with a Luis Tejada strike and a Gabriel Gomez penalty putting Panama clear in the first half, a lead that was fully deserved.

Going behind is nothing new for Bradley’s team – it happened early in three of their four World Cup games – but this time there was no great response, and most worryingly, little in the way of spirit and fight back. Panic may be too harsh a word, but the kind of composed response Bradley would have hoped for and expected from his senior players was not forthcoming.

Still, there were chances, as Chris Wondolowski and Landon Donovan were presented with opportunities to level the score late, only for both to snatch at their strike and miss the target.

It all capped off what might have been the worst week of Bradley’s time in charge, one where his side has suddenly looked unsettled enough to prompt concern even three years out from a World Cup. Surely things will have fallen into place by the time Brazil 2014 rolls around, but the lack of attacking firepower is a serious headache for the coach.

Juan Agudelo is a hot prospect but so was Jozy Altidore three years ago, and Altidore has yet to fulfill his potential as hoped. The dilemma of whether to push Clint Dempsey into attack is bound to be discussed at length in the coming months and years.

Either way, Bradley will hope things get better from here. A 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Spain in Boston last Saturday could be neatly and comfortably explained away by the standard of the opposition and the decision of Bradley to rest several key players.

Similarly, the team’s Gold Cup opener against Canada on Tuesday provided little in the way of true indication as the contest was a mismatch. But there was no tidy explanation for this result, and the USA’s proud record of never having lost a Gold Cup group game burned at Raymond James Stadium.

For a team that considers itself to be the class of the CONCACAF region, it was a truly miserable night. It is not time to press the panic button yet, but the USA has learned some harsh lessons.

I thought your country was Texas, and everything in it?

You guys didn't know she's Panamanian-American?

Anywho.... I never follow soccer (football) .... but those guys are pretty hot.

paintedlady said:

paintedlady said:

You guys didn't know she's Panamanian-American?

Anywho.... I never follow soccer (football) .... but those guys are pretty hot.

I only follow when Panama or Argentina are playing or during the World Cup. And yes they are TOO damn foine!

SCNDLS said:

paintedlady said:

You guys didn't know she's Panamanian-American?

Anywho.... I never follow soccer (football) .... but those guys are pretty hot.

I only follow when Panama or Argentina are playing or during the World Cup. And yes they are TOO damn foine!

I dated a Panamanian once.

He had a daughter though that ruined it for me.

She was about 12 and I wasn't ready to deal with that.

paintedlady said:

You guys didn't know she's Panamanian-American?

The original Panamama...Prince writes songs about 'em,

babynoz said:

paintedlady said:

You guys didn't know she's Panamanian-American?

The original Panamama...Prince writes songs about 'em,

True dat, we legendary

SUPRMAN said:

SCNDLS said:

I only follow when Panama or Argentina are playing or during the World Cup. And yes they are TOO damn foine!

I dated a Panamanian once.

He had a daughter though that ruined it for me.

She was about 12 and I wasn't ready to deal with that.

Oh goodness, I would love to be your therapist, I bet you got all kindsa a stories.

But was he foine, tho?!

SCNDLS said:

SUPRMAN said:

I dated a Panamanian once.

He had a daughter though that ruined it for me.

She was about 12 and I wasn't ready to deal with that.

Oh goodness, I would love to be your therapist, I bet you got all kindsa a stories.

But was he foine, tho?!

Nope. Not unattractive but it was the body that turned my head.

SUPRMAN said:

SCNDLS said:

Oh goodness, I would love to be your therapist, I bet you got all kindsa a stories.

But was he foine, tho?!

Nope. Not unattractive but it was the body that turned my head.

Shit, sometimes that's enough.

Canada eliminated from Gold Cup after late equalizer clinches group for Panama

The Canadian men's national team's Gold Cup began with a goal conceded due to shaky goalkeeping, and it ended the same way.

Goalkeeper Milan Borjan couldn't control Blas Perez' rebound attempt on the goal line, and Luis Tejada got the final touch to score in the waning moments of the clubs' Group C finale, which ended in a 1-1 draw at Livestrong Sporting Park.

Canada had gone ahead earlier in the half on a Dwayne De Rosario penalty kick, and a win would have sealed the team's place in the quarterfinals. Instead, the last-second draw, coupled with the United States' win over Guadeloupe, knocked a Canadian team that had high aspirations out of the tournament.

With the draw, Panama won Group C and will face El Salvador in the quarterfinals at RFK Stadium on Sunday. The winner of that game will meet the winner of United States-Jamaica in a semifinal in Houston.

Gold Cup: Panama advance past El Salvador on penalties

WASHINGTON — Panama advanced to the Gold Cup semifinal thanks to a 5-3 penalty-kick shootout win over El Salvador Sunday evening.

A dramatic and controversial equalizer by Panama’s Luis Tejada in the game’s dying minutes canceled out Rodolfo Zelaya’s penalty kick in front of a crowd of 45,423 at RFK Stadium. The two sides drew 1-1 after 120 minutes.

Panama showed lethal form in penalties, converting all five spot kicks to advance to a semifinal matchup against the United States. El Salvador's Dennis Alas missed the first kick of the deciders, and his team could never catch up.

Down a goal and needing to tie to keep their Gold Cup run going late in the game, Panama threw all their big men forward and began dumping long balls in, hoping to equalize. It paid off in the 90th minute in frenetic circumstances. A Blas Pérez cross was tipped up by Salvadoran ‘keeper Miguel Montes, and Tejada bundled the rebound into Montes’ hands — but the ‘keeper was standing in the goal, and the ball was ruled over the line by the assistant referee.

[Edited 6/20/11 20:39pm]

USA defeats Guadeloupe, to face Jamaica in quarterfinals

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The U.S. men's national team entered its Group C finale against Guadeloupe needing a result in order to qualify for the knockout stage of the tournament.

The Americans got just that, beating Guadeloupe, 1-0, in front of a sold-out crowd at Livestrong Sporting Park. The win gave the Americans a second-place finish in the group due to Panama tying Canada 1-1 in the first game of the night, and it also set up a quarterfinals match against Jamaica in Washington D.C. on June 19.

US beat Jamaica to reach Gold Cup semis

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Second-half goals from Jermaine Jones and Clint Dempsey gave the United States a 2-0 victory over Jamaica Sunday and a berth in the CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-finals.

Jones struck in the 49th minute and Dempsey added the insurance goal in the 80th as the USA advanced to face either Panama or El Salvador, who meet later Sunday to complete the semi-final lineup in the regional championship for North and Central America and the Caribbean.

German-born midfielder Jones, making his ninth appearance for the USA, fired a shot from outside the area that was deflected by Jamaican defender Jermaine Taylor's outstretched leg past goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts.

[Edited 6/20/11 20:36pm]

US, Panama reach Gold Cup semi-finals

The Americans find themselves in a rare position and a double opportunity in an international tournament. They can avenge an earlier round loss and book a spot in the final with a win against Panama in the semifinals in Houston on Wednesday.

The encounter will be only 11 days since they were upset 2-1 in the first round by the Central Americans, which ended the United States' 26-game unbeaten streak in first round matches.

No one has to remind Panama coach Julio Cesar Dely Valdes about how much higher the stakes are.

"This time is going to be very different from the match we played in the previous stage," he said. "It will be very complicated."

Complicated for several reasons. The United States has improved its defense since that encounter, solidifying its backline by moving veteran captain from left fullback to central defense and Eric Lichaj to left back.

Panama will have to play without striker Blas Perez, whose physical presence was critical in the first meeting.

Perez will serve a one-game suspension for a red card during the intermission between regulation and extra time in its quarterfinal shootout win over El Salvador. Against the United States, he drew a foul from U.S. defender Tim Ream in the penalty area to set up Gabriel Gomez's penalty kick.

Los Canaleros still have striker Luis Tejada, who has been involved in goals in all four of Panama's Gold Cup games.

Twice he has had late tallies. A 91st-minute equalizer gave Panama a a 1-1 draw with Canada in the groups stage to eliminate the North Americans, and a 90th-minute tying goal against El Salvador in the quarterfinals sent the game to extra time and penalties, won by La Marea Roja 5-3.

Tejada also converted the winning penalty in the tie-breaker against El Salvador.

Tejada has been Panama's leading scorer in the Gold Cup, increasing his career tally to eight goals over three tournaments.

Since allowing Gomez to score in the 36th minute, the Americans haven't conceded a goal in 234 minutes. Except for an early dangerous chance by Jamaica, they have limited their foes to but a handful of chances.

"We had them pretty much pegged in terms of our scouting report," goalkeeper Tim Howard said. "We did look confident in the back. It was a good performance.

"The key...was going to be when we drop our line and when not to, because there's so much space up front. You need to keep the field compact to play at this level, but you also need to recognize when to drop our line and be smart and for the most part we got that right every time."

Go USA! Let's do this!

USA 2-0

[Edited 6/20/11 21:17pm]

I ain't finna talk shit all the way cuz one of Panama's dominant players is serving a suspension. But gatdammit ain't no way Panama loses playing in Houston where it's TONS of Panamanians and I'm tryin' my best to be one mo' in da house wavin' my flag.

Oh well, Panama lost to the USA 1-0

They still foine tho

SCNDLS said:

Oh well, Panama lost to the USA 1-0

They still foine tho

WHAT?!!!

The U.S. didn't cover?

C'Mon Mexico!

[Edited 6/22/11 18:43pm]

SCNDLS said:

Oh well, Panama lost to the USA 1-0

They still foine tho

Reliant Stadium was sold out though.

SUPRMAN said:

SCNDLS said:

Oh well, Panama lost to the USA 1-0

They still foine tho

Reliant Stadium was sold out though.

Yeah, I found tix on Ebay tho. There's a huge Panamanian population in Houston so I'm sure they represented.

USA v MEXICO

Gold Cup Final

Saturday night

Rose Bowl, Pasadena California

5 p.m. PST; 8 p.m. EST

SCNDLS said:

Them brothas did the damn thang!

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)—Luis Tejada scored in the 19th minute, Gabriel Gomez converted a penalty kick later in the first half and Panama stunned the United States 2-1 on Saturday night to advance to the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup.

The victory was the first for the Panamanians in nine meetings with the Americans, who had never lost a match in the group stage of any Gold Cup, the tournament that determines the champion for North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Despite the loss, the U.S. can clinch a spot in the quarterfinals by beating Guadaloupe in its final Group C stage match Tuesday night in Kansas City.

Tejada finished a sequence that began with Nelson Barahona’s free kick, tapping in a rebound after U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard lunged to get on a hand on Armando Cooper’s header from left of the net. American Tim Ream’s foul set up Gomez’s penalty kick, which the Panamanian lifted over the diving Howard for a 2-0 lead in the 36th minute.

Clarence Goodson gave the U.S. hope for a dramatic comeback, scoring in the 68th minute. The Americans had a couple of opportunities pull even, but Chris Wondolowski missed a wide-open net in the 80th minute and Jaime Penedo made two of his six saves in injury time to help Panama hang on.

The loss was just the second for the Americans in their past 21 Gold Cup games. They had been 6-0-2 against Panama, with all the meetings coming in either Gold Cup or World Cup qualifying.

Despite defeating Panama in the past three Gold Cups, the Americans stressed they could not overlook the Panamanians because each of those games had been close.

The teams played to a scoreless draw in the 2005 final, with the U.S. winning a penalty shootout to take the championship. They met in the quarterfinals in 2007 and 2009, with Panama losing 2-1 each time.

Panama opened the tournament with a 3-2 victory over Guadeloupe and beating the Americans gave it consecutive Gold Cup wins for the first time.

The U.S. began its quest with a 2-0 win over Canada, but wasn’t near as sharp in falling behind the aggressive Panamanians, who used their quickness and athletic ability to create numerous opportunities.

NOTES: There were 35 fouls—18 on the U.S., 17 on Panama. … The U.S. is 24-1-2 all-time in Gold Cup group play. … Panama improved to 1-3-1 against the Americans in Gold Cup. … Freddy Adu was among five players who were not active for the U.S. The midfielder also was inactive for the tournament opener against Canada.

[Edited 6/11/11 20:27pm]

[Edited 6/20/11 20:32pm]

WHOO Lawd a'mighty, Panamanian menz is FINE !!!

SUPRMAN said:

USA v MEXICO

Gold Cup Final

Saturday night

Rose Bowl, Pasadena California

5 p.m. PST; 8 p.m. EST

That should be good.

Ottensen said:

SCNDLS said:

Them brothas did the damn thang!

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)—Luis Tejada scored in the 19th minute, Gabriel Gomez converted a penalty kick later in the first half and Panama stunned the United States 2-1 on Saturday night to advance to the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup.

The victory was the first for the Panamanians in nine meetings with the Americans, who had never lost a match in the group stage of any Gold Cup, the tournament that determines the champion for North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Despite the loss, the U.S. can clinch a spot in the quarterfinals by beating Guadaloupe in its final Group C stage match Tuesday night in Kansas City.

Tejada finished a sequence that began with Nelson Barahona’s free kick, tapping in a rebound after U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard lunged to get on a hand on Armando Cooper’s header from left of the net. American Tim Ream’s foul set up Gomez’s penalty kick, which the Panamanian lifted over the diving Howard for a 2-0 lead in the 36th minute.

Clarence Goodson gave the U.S. hope for a dramatic comeback, scoring in the 68th minute. The Americans had a couple of opportunities pull even, but Chris Wondolowski missed a wide-open net in the 80th minute and Jaime Penedo made two of his six saves in injury time to help Panama hang on.

The loss was just the second for the Americans in their past 21 Gold Cup games. They had been 6-0-2 against Panama, with all the meetings coming in either Gold Cup or World Cup qualifying.

Despite defeating Panama in the past three Gold Cups, the Americans stressed they could not overlook the Panamanians because each of those games had been close.

The teams played to a scoreless draw in the 2005 final, with the U.S. winning a penalty shootout to take the championship. They met in the quarterfinals in 2007 and 2009, with Panama losing 2-1 each time.

Panama opened the tournament with a 3-2 victory over Guadeloupe and beating the Americans gave it consecutive Gold Cup wins for the first time.

The U.S. began its quest with a 2-0 win over Canada, but wasn’t near as sharp in falling behind the aggressive Panamanians, who used their quickness and athletic ability to create numerous opportunities.

NOTES: There were 35 fouls—18 on the U.S., 17 on Panama. … The U.S. is 24-1-2 all-time in Gold Cup group play. … Panama improved to 1-3-1 against the Americans in Gold Cup. … Freddy Adu was among five players who were not active for the U.S. The midfielder also was inactive for the tournament opener against Canada.

[Edited 6/11/11 20:27pm]

[Edited 6/20/11 20:32pm]

WHOO Lawd a'mighty, Panamanian menz is FINE !!!

I tried to tell ya! And when they spit they game in Spanish the panties do start a-droppin!

I know little about the game of soccer but those men got some strong looking arms and thighs!

HotGritz said:

I know little about the game of soccer but those men got some strong looking arms and thighs!