With Mexico and Costa Rica playing to a scoreless draw early Tuesday evening, the United States had the perfect opportunity to take control of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying group. Entering their fifth qualifying match against Panama, the U.S. found themselves tied atop the group standings with El Tri and Costa Rica. Earning a win over a pesky Panama team would give them 10 points and a 2 point advantage in the pool.
While the USMNT team had their sights set on a win, the Panamanian national team had the same opportunity to take over group supremacy since they entered the evening only one point behind the aforementioned trio. Following the draw between Mexico and Costa Rica, Panama had a chance to take a one-point pool lead if they could find a way to take down the Americans.
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Looking to build off a thrilling 2-1 victory over Jamaica in their last match, the United States once again found themselves in a defensive battle through the first 35-plus minutes of play. Accounting for the first three shots of the contest, the U.S. was able to put pressure on Panama's defense but were unable to find the back of the net with those attempts. A Fabian Johnson opportunity in the third minute from the left side of the box missed the target but the Americans seemed to have something going in the early portion of the ballgame.
A golden opportunity came in the 22nd- minute when Michael Bradley's shot attempt looked like it had a chance to find its way between the pipes but the ball deflected off Clint Dempsey's foot, ending any hope of the U.S. breaking the scoreless tie at that point.
After multiple opportunities were squandered in the first half, the United States finally broke the tie late in the frame. Jozy Altidore brought the fans at Seattle's CenturyLink Field to a roar in the 36th minute when he converted a crossing pass from teammate Fabian Johnson, putting the United States up 1-0 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half.
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Firing off seven shots throughout the opening 45 minutes, only one attempt found it's way toward the goal but that lone shot popped between the pipes, sending the United States into the locker room with a 1-0 halftime advantage. The U.S. defense was stellar once again, only allowing the Panamanian offense to get one shot attempt off in 45 minutes of play.
Picking up where they left off to start the second half, the USMNT padded their lead almost instantaneously when Eddie Johnson used space in front of him to convert another America goal in the 53rd minute. Leading 2-0 with much of the second half to be played, the United States knew the issue was not decided but were surely feeling confident about their play, an effort that seemed to carry over from the performance against Jamaica.
The goals from Altidore and Johnson were the only tallies the United States needed as they earned their 10th point in 5 World Cup qualifying matches while taking over sole possession of first place in the CONCACAF group.
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Panama's offense struggled mightily in the match due in large part to the suffocating American defense and tremendous end-to end speed displayed by a confident United States bunch. Midway through their hexagonal matches, Panama is still very much in the hunt for a top three spot but with teams like the U.S., El Tri, Costa Rica and a resurgent Honduran national squad, the Panamanians will need to play much better on both ends to be considered a real threat moving forward.
The American's will now prepare for their upcoming match against Honduras on June 18th while Panama faces Costa Rica in their next contest.
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