Gold Cup: Panama stuns the U.S.

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A. - Julio César Dely Valdés made a bold prediction to his team prior to facing the United States on June 11: For the first time in Panama's history, it was going to beat the Yanks.

All Panama did was go out and back up its coach's words, getting goals from Luis Tejada and Gabriel Gómez as the heavy underdogs upset the hosts, 2-1, setting off a raucous party in front of 27,731 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

"Panama usually doesn't need a reason to celebrate, but this will definitely make them celebrate," Dely Valdés, whose country entered the game 0-6-2 all-time against the Yanks, told reporters after the game. "It's an historic moment. We, as a coaching staff, have to keep our feet on the ground to make sure that we are successful in the other games."

The victory is one of the greatest in recent history for Panama, which improved to 6-5-5 all-time in the Gold Cup. The United States, which had outscored Los Canaleros, 18-4, in their eight previous meetings, suffered their first defeat during the group stage of the tournament.

"CONCACAF teams are getting better and better. It's a pretty good team we played against," U.S. midfielder Landon Donovan told reporters after the game. "It's disappointing, but the reality is it's over now. ...We've got to win [June 14], see what else happens and see where we end up. We're still fine."

Even with the defeat, the United States is virtually assured of claiming a spot in the knockout rounds. But a top finish in Group C now appears to belong to Panama.

Los Canaleros leads the group with six points and a solid, plus-2 goal differential. Panama faces Canada (1-0-1, 3 points) on June 14, needing a tie or victory to claim the top spot in the group. The United States (1-0-1, 3 points) needs a victory or draw with Guadeloupe (0-0-2) and a Panamanian loss, to have any chance of regaining first.

The top two teams from each group, along with the top two third-place finishers, advance to the knockout rounds next weekend.

“I guess it was the faith the players had in themselves and in the coaching staff,” Panamanian Coach Dely Valdés said. “When they make up their minds to do something, they go ahead and do it. As anyone does, they do have faults and we took advantage.”

Though the United States had historically dominated Panama, the team drew from its most recent matches against the Yanks for inspiration. In 2005, the Americans defeated Panama in the final in a shootout to claim the tournament. In 2007 and 2009, Los Canaleros fell 2-1 in the quarterfinals both years.

“We worked very hard for it,” Dely Valdés told reporters after the game. “I’m absolutely happy because we made history.”

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