USA vs. Panama
2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group B
July 8, 2017
Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.
Live Broadcast: 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX, Univision and Univision Deportes Network
Today’s U.S. MNT Starting XI vs. Panama: 1-Brad Guzan, 2-Jorge Villafaña, 3-Omar Gonzalez, 5-Matt Besler, 6-Kelyn Rowe, 10-Joe Corona, 11-Alejandro Bedoya (capt.), 13-Dax McCarty, 14-Dom Dwyer, 19-Graham Zusi, 23-Kellyn Acosta
Substitutes: 12-Bill Hamid, 22-Sean Johnson, 4-Matt Miazga, 7-Chris Pontius, 8-Jordan Morris,
9-Gyasi Zardes, 15-Eric Lichaj, 16-Justin Morrow, 17-Cristian Roldan, 18-Juan Agudelo, 20-Paul Arriola, 21-Matt Hedges
- Starting XI Cap Numbers (including this match): Bedoya (62), Guzan (56), Zusi (50), Besler (41), Gonzalez (41), Corona (19), Acosta (10), McCarty (8), Villafaña (8), Dwyer (2), Rowe (2).
- Starting XI Gold Cup Cap Numbers (including this match): Bedoya (12), Corona (8), Guzan (7), Gonzalez (5) Zusi (4), Besler (4), Acosta (1), McCarty (1), Villafaña (1), Dwyer (1), Rowe (1).
- Bruce Arena makes two changes to the team that started last Saturday’s 2-1 win vs. Ghana, inserting defender Omar Gonzalez for Matt Hedges and midfielder Alejandro Bedoya for Paul Arriola.
- Making his 62nd international appearance, Bedoya captains the U.S. MNT for the first time.
- Jorge Villafaña, Kelyn Rowe, Dax McCarty, Dom Dwyer and Kellyn Acosta all make their first Gold Cup appearances.
- Five players took part in the USA’s last meeting with Panama, a 1-1 draw on March 28 in World Cup Qualifying: Acosta, Bedoya, Gonzalez, Villafaña and Graham Zusi.
- Having made his international debut way back in 2009, Saturday’s start marks the first match in official competition for Dax McCarty.
- Zusi has tallied two of his five international goals against Panama. The veteran from Sporting Kansas City recorded his first international goal in a 1-0 friendly win at Panama on January 25, 2012, and also tallied the late equalizer in the USA’s 3-2 win on Oct. 15, 2013 in the final match of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
- Bedoya has recorded two of his nine career assists against Panama in the Gold Cup. The Philadelphia Union midfielder provided the game-winner to Brek Shea to lift the U.S. to a 1-0 win in the 2013 Final, and dished to Michael Bradley during the 1-1 draw in the 2015 Group Stage.
- Having won the Golden Glove as best goalkeeper in the 2015 tournament, Brad Guzan appears in his seventh-consecutive Gold Cup match.
- Having made his U.S. MNT debut in January’s 0-0 draw against Serbia, Villafaña leads all starters in caps during 2017, appearing in eight of nine matches.
- The U.S. is in the midst of an eight-match unbeaten streak, going 4-0-4 while conceding just four goals since Bruce Arena returned as head coach.
- Saturday’s 2-1 win vs. Ghana was Arena’s 75th as manager of the U.S. MNT. He is 75-30-33 in 138 matches.
- The U.S. MNT is 11-1-5 all-time against Panama and has gone 5-1-3 against Los Canaleros in CONCACAF Gold Cup play.
- Though the U.S. has dominated the series, 12 of the 17 matches have been decided by a goal or less.
- The U.S. has met Panama nine times in the Gold Cup – more than any other opponent. The teams have also faced off at least once in each of the last six tournaments.
- The sides played to two 1-1 draws during the 2015 competition. Michael Bradley tallied in the Group Stage game on July 13, 2015 in Kansas City, while Clint Dempsey scored the equalizer in the Third-Place Match on July 25.
- The U.S. has defeated Panama twice in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final. U.S. head coach Bruce Arena was manager when the MNT downed Los Canaleros 3-1 on penalty kicks in 2005 and the U.S. used a game-winner from Brek Shea to earn a 1-0 victory in the 2013 Final.
