The Yanks got the better of Canada in the last eight stage courtesy of prevailing 3-2 in the tiebreaker after the score was tied 2-2 at the end of 120 minutes of play, while the Canal Men thrashed Qatar 4-0.
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USA and Panama will square off in a Gold Cup semi-final fixture at Snapdragon Stadium on Wednesday night. The Yanks had to dig deep to get the better of Canada in the last-eight stage, prevailing 3-2 in the tiebreaker after the scores were tied 2-2 at the end of 120 minutes of play. The Canal Men, on the other hand, thrashed Qatar 4-0 to continue their fairytale run in the continental competition. Meanwhile, the last meeting between these two sides was back in March 2022, which saw the Stars and Stripes thrashing Panama 5-1 to end their World Cup dreams.
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐩 𝐒𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬
🇺🇸 USA vs Panama 🇵🇦
7:30 PM ET
📍 San Diego📺 FS1 / Univision / TUDN
Match Preview » https://t.co/grcGDYKd60 pic.twitter.com/onixclw6Uk
— U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (@USMNT) July 12, 2023
It took 88 minutes for USA to break the deadlock against Canada in the last-eight encounter, thanks to Bradon Vazquez’s stunning header from Dejuan Jones’ pinpoint cross. Nevertheless, three minutes into the injury time, the Canucks were awarded a penalty for United States defender Miles Robinson’s handball inside the box. Canadian centre-back Steven Vitoria stepped up and converted the spot kick to force the game into extra time. And then, Jacob Shaffelburg’s stunning 109th-minute strike made the score 2-1 for the Canucks before an own goal by Scott Kennedy in the 114th-minute leveled the score. Thanks to goalkeeper Matt Turner’s heroics in between the sticks, the Yanks progressed to the last four stage and are now just one win away from reaching a fourth successive Gold Cup final.
Panama, on the other hand, eased their way past the Maroons, scoring four goals without reply at AT&T stadium. Edgar Herrera opened the scoring inside the opening 19 minutes before Ismael Diaz’s second-half hat-trick sealed their place in the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 2013. Moreover, it was also their biggest triumph at this tournament since destroying Cuba 6-1 in the 2013 quarter-finals. Thomas Christiansen’s men were brilliant against the 2022 World Cup hosts, having 62% of ball possession, attempting 17 shots with six of them on target, compared to just a solitary shot on target by the Qataris. Wednesday’s fixture is definitely going to be a high voltage encounter as La Marea Roja are in stunning form and would give the reigning champions a run for their money.
USA probable starting lineup: Turner, Reynolds, Robinson, Miazga, Jones, Busio, Sands, Mihailovic, J. Morris, Ferreira, Zendejas
Panama probable starting lineup: Mosquera, Escobar, Cummings, Andrade, Barcenas, Welch, Godoy, Davis, Fajardo, Waterman, Diaz
USA
| Opponents | Score |
| Canada | 3-2 (W) |
| Trinidad & Tobago | 6-0 (W) |
| Saint Kitts & nevis | 0-6 (W) |
| Jamaica | 1-1 (D) |
| Canada | 0-2 (W) |
Panama
| Opponents | Score |
| Qatar | 4-0 (W) |
| El Salvador | 2-2 (D) |
| Martinique | 1-2 (W) |
| Costa Rica | 1-2 (W) |
| Mexico | 0-1 (L) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| USA beat Panama | 5-1 |
| Panama beat USA | 1-0 |
| USA beat Panama | 6-2 |
| USA beat Panama | 0-1 |
| USA beat Panama | 3-0 |
The Gold Cup fixture between USA and Panama will take place at Snapdragon Stadium on Thursday at 5:00 am IST.
| USA vs Panama | Key Details |
| Date | July 12 (USA) |
| Venue | Snapdragon Stadium |
| Kickoff time in USA | 7:30 pm (Wednesday) |
| Kickoff time in Panama | 6:30 pm (Wednesday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 5:00 am (Thursday) |
Football fans in USA can catch the live action via Fox Sports, TUDN and Univision network. Meanwhile, those in Panama can watch the match on Star +, VIX and ESPN Norte.
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