USMNT draws with Panama in World Cup qualifier
PANAMA CITY – Christian Pulisic and Clint Dempsey combined for yet another goal to cement their growing partnership, but the United States could only come away from its latest World Cup qualifier with a 1-1 draw against Panama.
Pulisic, the precocious 18-year-old who carries many of the national team’s hopes upon his young shoulders, set up veteran Dempsey to put the Americans into the lead after 39 minutes.
Coming off a morale-boosting 6-0 destruction of Honduras four days earlier, the goal looked likely to continue the early momentum of head coach Bruce Arena’s second stint in charge.
However, a lapse in concentration allowed Gabriel Gomez to equalize for Panama just before half-time, with honors remaining even until the end. With a point, the U.S. stayed in fourth place in the six-team CONCACAF table, staying a point behind Panama, and now six back from group leader Mexico. CONCACAF will send three teams to the World Cup automatically, with a fourth qualifying for a playoff against a team from the Asian confederation.
This was not the perfect result but it was far from a bad one. Road games are the toughest part of life in this region and avoiding defeat on your travels is a staple target for any team with serious aspirations of making the tournament.
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Russia next summer seemed a long way away when then-coach Jurgen Klinsmann oversaw a pair of defeats to begin the double round robin, then got fired, before Arena was handed the task of ensuring things pick up.
Four points from four games is not a spectacular return but it will do for now, especially with the tempo and energy of the play having improved. The second half was entertaining stuff, end to end, both teams taking aim at all three points.
Goalkeeper Tim Howard was called upon to step in and save from Luis Tejada and Anibal Godoy in the second half as Panama pressed and harried. Gabriel Torres had another fine opportunity with 12 minutes left, but could only blast his effort wide, while the U.S. countered with intent but struggled for clear opportunities.
The brightest note to come out of the night for the U.S. was the goal of Dempsey. It came from nothing, a hopeful long ball aimed at no one in particular, the kind that usually is sent straight back upfield again. Except that there was a teenager on the right flank who sometimes whines and gets frustrated at the officials, but just doesn’t know when he’s beaten. Pulisic was behind defender Felipe Baloy and essentially picked his pocket, turning him one way and the other and slipping past. Next in his way was Roman Torres, and he got juked, too. Suddenly Pulisic was in space and everyone had been so busy watching him that Dempsey was wide open, waiting patiently for a pass, then clipping it effortlessly into the net.
In the moment of celebration, Arena pointed to his watch and alerted his players that halftime was imminent and to avoid any lapses. It fell on deaf ears and Gomez’s goal, from a scrappy passage of play, shifted some momentum back to the middle.
Toward the end of the night, Arena tightened things up, taking off Jozy Altidore and bringing on defensive-minded Paul Arriola to add steel at the back. It was enough to survive the night, enough for a point, which itself was enough — for now.
Follow Martin Rogers on Twitter @mrogersUSAT.
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