USMNT facing Panama on Friday in critical 2018 World Cup qualifier

CHICAGO (Via U.S. Soccer) – The U.S. Men’s National Team looks to take a big step towards the 2018 FIFA World Cup when it hosts Panama in Final Round Qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Friday, Oct. 6. Coverage of USA-Panama kicks off from Orlando City Stadium in Orlando, Fla., at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2, Univision and UDN.

U.S. MNT Roster by Position (Club; WCQ Caps/Goals):
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Atlanta United FC; 15/0), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids; 37/0), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake; 0/0)

DEFENDERS (9): DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo; 35/6), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City; 12/1), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City/ENG; 24/2), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca/MEX; 16/0), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana/MEX; 6/1), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 6/0), Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna/MEX; 4/0), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United/ENG; (8/0), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City; 20/3)

MIDFIELDERS (9): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; 5/0),Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution; 0/0), Paul Arriola (D.C. United; 5/1), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union; 9/0), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/CAN; 38/7), Benny Feilhaber (Sporting Kansas City; 6/0), Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers; 9/0), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 11/5)

FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC/CAN; 39/16), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC; 41/18), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes; 0/0), Bobby Wood (Hamburg/GER; 12/4)

x- Qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup

MATCHDAY 9 SCHEDULE
Friday, Oct. 6
USA vs. Panama 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2, Univision, UDN)
Mexico vs. Trinidad & Tobago 9:30 p.m. ET (FS1, Univision, UDN)
Costa Rica vs. Honduras 10 p.m. ET (beIN Sports, UNIVERSO)

STORYLINES

WITH TWO MATCHES LEFT, USA CONTROLS WORLD CUP DESTINY
The U.S. Men’s National Team comes into Matchday 9 on the heels of Bobby Wood’s 85^th minute equalizer which handed the side a 1-1 draw at Honduras. The drama of Wood’s goal perhaps overshadowed its importance, in that it also took two points off Honduras, keeping the USA ahead of Los Chapines going into the final two games. With Costa Rica all but qualified for Russia 2018, essentially the USA, Panama and Honduras are in a three-team race for the final automatic qualifying spot during the final two matchdays. The biggest game comes Friday in Orlando when the the MNT faces a third-place Panama side that sits one point ahead of the USA for CONCACAF’s final automatic World Cup berth. A U.S. win against Panama on Friday would put Bruce Arena’s side back into third place with an opportunity to solidify that position away to Trinidad & Tobago on Matchday 10, but a draw or loss to Panama could mean the MNT would need help next Tuesday in order to clinch third or fourth place. Check out all the scenarios around the conclusion of the Hex below:

WELL ACQUAINTED WITH PANAMA
If it seems like the U.S. MNT has played Panama a bunch, that’s because they have. The sides have met a whopping 15 times since 2005, making Panama the USA’s second most common opponent behind Mexico in that time span. With an 11-1-6 all-time record and 5-0-2 mark in qualifying, the MNT has largely dominated the series between the two nations, but Panama has proven quite difficult of late – the Central American nation has played the USA to four consecutive 1-1 draws, with two coming already this year in a World Cup Qualifier in Panama City on March 28 and the opening match of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup on July 8.

What has made Panama such a challenge? To summarize thoughts of U.S. MNT players, it’s the commitment to a physical and disciplined playing style as well as the continuity that exists between the team’s core group of players. Eight of the nation’s nine most-capped players are on the current roster (see below) and 13 of the 22-man squad named by Hernan Dario Gomez have appeared in seven or more of Los Canaleros 2018 qualifiers.

CAUTION WATCH
A nearly two-year qualifying process will come to an end next Tuesday, but an important aspect of it all is yellow card accumulation. Rules stipulate that any player who accumulates two yellow cards during CONCACAF’s 16-game World Cup Qualifying marathon must sit out their next official match. The USA experienced this last month, when forward Jozy Altidore was shown his second caution of 2018 qualifying against Costa Rica, forcing him to miss the USA’s trip to Honduras four days later.

The MNT comes into Friday’s contest with nine players who would be suspended for Tuesday’s visit to Trinidad & Tobago if they earn a yellow card against Panama: Kellyn Acosta, Paul Arriola, DaMarcus Beasley, Alejandro Bedoya, Matt Besler, Michael Bradley, Geoff Cameron, Clint Dempsey and DeAndre Yedlin.

HEAVY ON EXPERIENCE
With the Final Round reaching crunch time, Arena has called upon a group loaded with experience in World Cup Qualifying. A total of 12 players on the roster have made 11 or more FIFA World Cup Qualifying appearances: Clint Dempsey (41), Jozy Altidore (39), Michael Bradley (38), Tim Howard (37), DaMarcus Beasley (35), Geoff Cameron (24), Graham Zusi (20), Omar Gonzalez (16), Brad Guzan (15), Matt Besler, Bobby Wood (12 each) and Christian Pulisic (11).

STRONG IN ’17
The MNT has been formidable this year, winning the confederation championship and taking points in all three road World Cup Qualifiers, including the 1-1 draw against Mexico at Estadio Azteca. The 2017 Gold Cup champions have lost only once in 16 matches, tallying 28 goals and recording seven shutouts. Seven players have put their names on the scoresheet multiple times, with Clint Dempsey leading all U.S. scorers with five goals, while Christian Pulisic has tallied four goals and three assists.

WORLD CUP QUALIFYING VS. PANAMA
The USA owns an 11-1-6 all-time record against Panama and is 5-0-2 vs. Los Canaleros in seven previous World Cup Qualifiers.

USA-PANAMA NOTES

• Since first meeting in 1993, the U.S. Men’s National Team holds a 11-1-6 all-time advantage against Panama.
• The MNT is 5-0-2 all-time in World Cup Qualifiers vs. Los Canaleros and 3-0-0 when those matches have come on home soil.
• Aside from Mexico, the U.S. has played Panama more than any other international opponent since 2004, meeting the Central American nation 17 times in that span.
• Since the USA’s 3-2 win which knocked Panama out of World Cup contention on the last day of 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, the two sides have played to four consecutive 1-1 draws.
• Two of those draws came this year. In a World Cup Qualifier played March 28 in Panama City, Clint Dempsey tallied in the 39^th minute before Panama equalized through Gabriel Gomez four minutes later. In the USA’s opening match of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Dom Dwyer tallied for the MNT in the 50^th minute before Miguel Camargo pulled things level 10 minutes later.
• Fourteen of the 18 all-time meetings between the two sides have been decided by a goal or less.
• U.S. MNT head coach Bruce Arena is 3-0-2 all-time vs. Panama.

USA ROSTER NOTES:

• A total of 12 players on the roster have made 11 or more FIFA World Cup Qualifying appearances: Clint Dempsey (41), Jozy Altidore (39), Michael Bradley (38), Tim Howard (37), DaMarcus Beasley (35), Geoff Cameron (24), Graham Zusi (20), Omar Gonzalez (16), Brad Guzan (15), Matt Besler, Bobby Wood (12 each) and Christian Pulisic (11).
• Seventeen players logged time during the team’s September World Cup Qualifying matches: goalkeepers Brad Guzan and Howard; defenders Beasley, Besler, Cameron, Gonzalez, Ream, Jorge Villafaña and Zusi; midfielders Kellyn Acosta, Paul Arriola, Bradley, Darlington Nagbe and Pulisic; forwards Altidore, Dempsey and Wood.
• Because the MNT has nine players on caution watch entering this match, Arena has once again elected to call a larger 26-player roster. Acosta, Arriola, Beasley, Bedoya, Besler, Bradley, Cameron, Dempsey and Yedlin will serve a one-match suspension with their next yellow card.
• Four players will look to make their World Cup Qualifying debuts: goalkeeper Nick Rimando, midfielders Juan Agudelo and Dax McCarty, and forward Chris Wondolowski.
• Dempsey, Zusi and Altidore have all tallied goals against Panama in World Cup Qualifying. Dempsey found the back of the net in a 1-1 draw at Panama City (March 28, 2017), Altidore recorded a goal during a 2-0 win in Seattle (June 18, 2013), while Zusi memorably headed home the equalizer in the USA’s eventual 3-2 win to knock Panama out of World Cup contention (Oct. 15, 2013 in Panama City).
• Dempsey leads all goal scorers during the Final Round of qualifying with four.
• While he holds three goals and three assists in qualifying matches this year, in one way or another, Christian Pulisic has been involved in nine of the 12 goals scored by the U.S. during the Final Round of 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying.
• Forward Bobby Wood returns to camp after tallying a crucial 85 ^th minute equalizer in the USA’s 1-1 draw at Honduras last month. Four of Wood’s nine international goals have come in the 85 ^th minute or later.
• After being sidelined the past few weeks with a hamstring injury, center back Geoff Cameron returned for Stoke City on Saturday, going 90 minutes in the club’s 2-1 home win against Southampton.
• Two players on the roster grew up in the Orlando area. Midfielder Dax McCarty hails from Winter Park, while Zusi is from nearby Longwood.
• The October camp marks returns for three MNT players. Defender DeAndre Yedlin missed September’s qualifiers due to a hamstring injury, but has returned to play in both of Newcastle United’s league matches prior to Sunday’s announcement.
• Defender Michael Orozco takes part in his first camp since the March qualifiers earlier this year.
• Benny Feilhaber is back with the MNT for the first time since assisting on the game-winning goal in the USA’s 1-0 friendly win vs. Jamaica on Feb. 5, 2017. The Sporting KC midfielder also enters his first World Cup Qualifying camp since October 2009.

Panama Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): José Calderón (Marathón/HON), Jaime Penedo (Dynamo Bucharest/ROM)

DEFENDERS (8): Felipe Baloy (Municipal/GUA), Érick Davis (Dunajská Streda/SVK), Fidel Escobar (New York Red Bulls/USA), Adolfo Machado (Houston Dynamo/USA), Michael Murillo (New York Red Bulls/USA), Luis Ovalle (Deportes Tolima/COL), Román Torres (Seattle Sounders FC), Jan Carlos Vargas (Tauro)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Édgar Bárcenas (Tapachula/MEX), Ricardo Buitrago (Juan Aurich/PER), Armando Cooper (Toronto FC/CAN), Aníbal Godoy (San Jose Earthquakes/USA), Gabriel Gòmez (Atlético Bucaramanga/COL), José González (Árabe Unido), Alberto Quintero (Universitario/PER)

FORWARDS (5): Abdiel Arroyo (Danubio/URU), Roberto Nurse (Zacatecas), Blas Pérez (Municipal/GUA), Luis Tejada (Universitario/PER), Gabriel Torres (Lausanna-Sport/SUI)

HEAD COACH: Hernan Dario Gomez

PANAMA NOTES

• Panama comes into Matchday 9 on the heels of a 3-0 home win against Trinidad & Tobago on Sept. 5 in Panama City.
• That victory handed Los Canaleros a total of 10 points and pushed them up to third in the Hex with two matches remaining.
• Panama has gone 1-2-1 in its previous four away matches during Final Round qualifying. The victory came on Matchday 1 when they pulled of a 1-0 win at Honduras.
• Seven of Panama’s eight Final Round matches have been decided by a goal or less.
• Panama has received goals from six different players during the Final Round of qualifying: Abdiel Arroyo, Fidel Escobar, Gabriel Gómez, Blas Pérez, Gabriel Torres and Român Torres.
• Six players on the Panama roster play in MLS: Armando Cooper (Toronto FC), Anibal Godoy (San Jose Earthquakes), Fidel Escobar and Michael Murillo (New York Red Bulls), Adolfo Machado (Houston Dynamo), Román Torres (Seattle Sounders FC)