The United States might not exactly be bringing its A-team to the Gold Cup in 2017, but there's still a lot of pressure on this squad to succeed. The opening match of the team's tournament is significantly bigger for Panama, a team that is playing all-out in the Gold Cup in hopes of securing at least a shot at the Confederations Cup four years from now.
Don't miss the Gold Cup action from Nissan Stadium at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 8, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on FOX.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
United States -140
Panama +375
Draw +250
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
You'd like to think that the United States would be a tremendous favorite playing at home in Nashville against a Panamanian side that isn't going to have a huge presence in terms of fan support. That said, thanks to an incredibly young side, it's clear that the Yanks are going to need some time to pull this together. The senior squad wouldn't even be a guaranteed winner in Nashville against Panama in the Hex, let alone a junior squad that might not feature a single player over the age of 30.
The Americans, though, are still -140 favorites on the moneyline. It's not a convincing margin, but a margin it is for sure, and the hosts will feel as if they have no other options here but to snare all three points.
The total of 2.5 is shaded just a bit towards the under with -150 vig.
Roster Analysis
It's hard to even say that this is a junior team for the United States. Bruce Arena really didn't call on anyone who might be playing in the Hexagonal matches to get into the World Cup. Even the kiddies like Darlington Nagbe and Christian Pulisic were left home in favor of some of the other rising players from the MLS.
Sixteen of the 23 men on this roster play their club soccer in the MLS, and four more play in Mexico. Maybe the most interesting facet of this team will be in the midfield. Kelyn Rowe and Kenny Saief were both given their first career caps against Ghana in a friendly played last weekend, and they might be given starting roles in this one.
The Panamanians are pulling no punches in the Gold Cup. Blas Perez's career is probably over with at this point, but everyone else who was left out of the fold for this squad, including the Seattle Sounders' awesome back, Roman Torres are missing due to injuries of varying degrees.
Gabriel Torres and Gabriel Gomez are the two men who could get the most done in attack, but the real oomph of this team is very likely to be in defense. There's a reason why this team has allowed six goals in its last 11 matches overall.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
We have to remember that this is the toughest match for the United States in Group B, and it comes at a time when there flat out isn't going to be much time to build cohesion. It's going to be played in the thick of day in Nashville, and the weather could end up being a factor, too.
All too often in these incredibly hot matches played in the middle of the day in what amounts to be heat boxes, opportunities to score are few and far between. This will suit the Panamanians just fine.
A point won't be a bad result for either side, as both should still get through with seven points from this group. However, the Americans will probably feel a sense of getting shorted with a substandard result against what should be a substandard team.
Gold Cup Odds: USA 0, Panama 0
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