Panama's soccer team made no bones out of the fact that it felt like it was screwed, for lack of better terms, out of the Gold Cup. The team will get to play in the Third Place Game at PPL Park on Saturday, but the prize for either this team or the United States is nothing but a little bit of recognition.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The United States was a very heavy favorite in every match it played in this tournament, including against the Panamanians back in the last Group A match. The margin has gotten a lot smaller in what could end up being a relatively unpredictable fixture.
The Yanks are -175 moneyline favorites and -1 on the Asian handicap with +108 vig on their side. Panama has a fighting chance in this match though, knowing that Jamaica was able to beat the United States as a 7 to 1 underdog. The price on Los Canaleros is only +525 on the moneyline.
Because this is a third place game, the total is understandably a little higher than what we have seen of late in these Gold Cup matches. The total to beat is 2.5 (under -135).
QUOTE TO NOTE
"The team and fans are disappointed… We lost this game with two set pieces. We had enough chances to put four or five in. We didn't do that and Jamaica won. Congrats to Jamaica, they performed well. I can't complain about the performance of the team… We had enough chances." – United States head coach Jurgen Klinsmann following the stunning loss to Jamaica in the semifinals of the Gold Cup
RECENT FORM
Panama has had the exact same problem in all of its matches. Five times, this team has taken a 1-0 lead. Five times, that 1-0 lead became 1-1 by full time. Of course, that match against Mexico was not Panama's fault. Luis Tejada picked up a red card early on, and the Panamanians had to play with just 10 the rest of the way. The fact that the team was up 1-0 going into that controversial penalty in the 88th minute was stunning in and of itself. Losing in extra time though, wasn't a surprise after that first score.
The United States fell victim to set pieces as well. The Jamaicans were clearly the better of the two teams on the pitch for probably 60 of the 90 minutes in totality in the semifinal, and this ended up being a true step back for a nation which seemed to be picking up a lot of steam.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
These two teams played to a 1-1 draw in the last match of Group A, but we suspect that the United States will be in better form in this one. Don't be stunned if we see a completely different looking lineup from the one which lost to Jamaica, but whether that turns out to be the case or not, we expect that the Yanks will be more inclined to win this match than a mentally defeated Panamanian side.
Remember too that there are three Panama players who are suspended for this match, not the least of which is Tejada.
It's also worth noting that Panama has had to play back-to-back 120 minute matches, while the US has yet to play an extra time fixture here in the Gold Cup.
United States 3, Panama 0
BookMaker has Gold Cup lines for every match of the season. The United States is lined as a -175 moneyline favorite, while the total is set at 2.5 (under -135). You can make a futures bet and predict the champion, wager on head-to-head matchups or use BookMaker’s live betting feature to gamble while the match is happening.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The fixture between the United States and Panama is scheduled for Saturday, July 25, 2015, at 4:00 p.m. ET at PPL Park in Carson, PA. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 2.
