08 July, 2017
"A defining moment in our game is a goal, it unites fans in a celebration of joy and pride, it is a powerful and unique instant where we all share our passion for the game regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, colour, religion, national origin, or disability status", said CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani.
Panama enter the Gold Cup with a bit of confidence.
Twelve CONCACAF Member Associations have qualified for this year's tournament.
De la Torre brought a B-team to this Gold Cup, but it featured a half-dozen on the roster - Marco Fabian, Miguel Layun, Miguel Angel Ponce, Jonathan Orozco, Carlos Peña and Isaac Brizuela - who would make the team for the 2014 World Cup.
That isn't to say that the Gold Cup is devoid of value, however. The victor gets a berth in CONCACAF's playoff for the 2021 FIFA Confederations Cup. Featuring the country's most promising players, the Tri squad will not be short of pace and has the ability to trouble any defence. If Mexico reach the final Osorio will have served the ban at the tournament. What else is new, right? If the same team wins both Gold Cups, they automatically advance to the Confederations Cup, so a win for the USMNT in this tournament would be a major step toward qualification.
Is that such a big deal, the Confederations Cup? Losing forward Alan Pulido to injury was a huge blow with a lot of pressure now on replacement Erick "Cubo" Torres' shoulders. The U.S.is 2-0-2 in World Cup qualifying to move up into third place with four games remaining.
The only obvious setback for the U.S. at present: A groin injury for another newcomer, Kenny Saief, who has been ruled out for the tournament and was replaced on the roster by Philadelphia Union winger Chris Pontius on Wednesday.
If that's the case, the toughness and experience present in Panama's midfield represents another test for the Americans' central trio of Dax McCarty, Kellyn Acosta and Joe Corona.
Mexico are the defending champions, having beaten Jamaica 3-1 in the 2015 final.
"A 16-year-old scores two goals, that's probably a record for the Gold Cup", Bernier told our man on the ground Jonathan Tannenwald after the match.
Earlier, French Guiana and Canada did not meet on the football field.
While the squad called up by coach Bruce Arena is marked by youth and relative inexperience at global level, the vibes appear to be good in the USA camp heading into the tournament. Los Catrachos stand in fifth place thanks to a Hexagonal-worst defense, so manager Jorge Luis Pinto will be looking to see more consistency from his backline.
Bruce Arena led the US to Gold Cup titles in 2002 and 2005 and will become the first coach to win three if the United States of America captures the 2017 title. They have some players who play for top flight clubs throughout Europe such as Southampton defender, Cuco Martina. But we saw in Panama that they're a very physical team. Manager Bruce Arena will likely stick to the 4-4-2 formation he has used - with the notable exception of last month's World Cup qualifier against Mexico - since taking over for Jurgen Klinsmann. The Reggae Boyz needed a last-minute goal from Simon Dawkins just to get past Nicaragua in the third round. Manager Theodore Whitmore will be aiming to get his side going again with the help of several MLS players, including Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Andre Blake, and Portland Timbers striker Darren Mattocks. The former Chelsea winger with 80 appearances for the French National Team was thought eligible to play for the non-FIFA side French Guiana after a five year absence from the French Team.