USMNT vs. Panama: Top Storylines and Predictions for 2024 Copa America
The United States men's national team faces a familiar foe in its second group-stage game at the 2024 Copa America on Thursday.
Christian Pulisic and Co. go up against fellow Concacaf side Panama with their sights set on securing six points from two games.
The USMNT beat Bolivia 2-0 in its tournament opener, and although the result could have been heavier in their favor, the Americans were never under threat of losing.
Gregg Berhalter's side needs to build on that performance and look better for the full 90 minutes in Atlanta to secure its second win ahead of the group-stage finale with Uruguay.
The goal is to at least finish in second place in Group C. A win over Panama ensures that the USMNT will move on to the knockout round no matter what happens against Uruguay.
USMNT Attack Needs to Be Crisper in Penalty Area
The USMNT got first-half goals from Pulisic and Folarin Balogun in Sunday's win over Bolivia.
Both goals came from impressive finishes, but there was not a lot of strong play in the final third between the tallies.
The Americans looked like they tuned out in attack once Pulisic completed the fast-paced start with his incredible strike in the third minute.
Balogun had plenty of opportunities to take chances before his 44th-minute strike, but he was wasteful and that led to the lag in scoring opportunities.
Ricardo Pepi's second-half substitution brought more life to the American attack, but the PSV Eindhoven striker had plenty of misses around the net.
The Americans must be crisper with their attacking movements to punish Panama for any mistakes that may occur.
A multi-goal victory is again the bare minimum goal, and the USMNT can get that if its strikers turn in more complete games instead of missing their chances close to the net.
Win Makes USMNT Feel Safe About Advancing
The USMNT is in a win-and-in scenario to reach the quarterfinals.
The Americans and Uruguay were pegged as the two favorites to advance out of Group C when the draw was made. Nothing has changed that expectation.
The assumption is that Uruguay pummels Bolivia, a team that failed to create any significant chances against the USMNT on Sunday, and for the Americans to defeat Panama. That would put both teams on six points, through to the final eight and left to fight for first place on Monday.
The USMNT has 17 victories in 26 all-time meetings with Panama, and it's looking for a bit of revenge after defeat on penalties to the same opponent in the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup semifinals.
A home win in front of a large crowd in Atlanta is the exact result required to move on. A draw leaves the USMNT in a vulnerable spot going into the Uruguay match.
A win and an improved performance from the Bolivia game will at least inspire confidence ahead of the group-stage game that really matters against the South Americans.
Prediction
USMNT 2, Panama 0
Panama will be a tougher foe than Bolivia.
The team is more talented than the South American side and is coming off a 3-1 loss to Uruguay that was 1-0 until chaos broke out in the final five minutes.
However, the USMNT should control the contest and will have the better chances throughout the 90 minutes.
Berhalter could reward Pepi's second-half effort against Bolivia with a start, or he could ride with Balogun up top and hope he is more lethal in front of goal.
Regardless of who starts at striker, Pulisic will be the key to the U.S. attack. He was the catalyst for Sunday's fast start and scored with a great strike to produce an early lead.
The Americans also need more out of Gio Reyna in the final. He went quiet for large stretches of the Group C opener.
As long as the Americans build on their performance from Sunday, they should find ways to break down the Panamanian defense, although it may take longer to do so than it did against Bolivia.