Welcome to one of my national team previews! I’m a particularly demented type of fan due to my obsession for the international game. Whatever team you’re about to read about, I have watched hours of them. All of my opinions come strictly from their own competitive games; I pay little mind to friendlies and zero mind to what their players do at club level.
Relatively speaking, Panama come into the World Cup off of one of the best 3-year periods of anyone around. The 2017 magic of qualifying for their first Big Dance took another half-decade, but eventually turned into sustained continental success for the program.
2023: Nations League semifinals & a Gold Cup final, only losing to Mexico on a last minute goal.
2024: Another Nations League semifinals & a quarterfinal run in the Copa America.
2025: A Nations League final appearance, once again taking El Tri to the brink before a stoppage time winner sunk them.
Throughout the past 4 years, Panama have proven that they have the chops to hang with the titans of CONCACAF while taking care of business. They have justifiably become a Top 3 team in the continent among some circles, highlighted by the fact that they've beaten the US 3 times in big cups.
They've achieved this through trust of manager Thomas Christensen, appointed in 2020 & believed in despite their failure to qualify for Qatar 2022. Obviously, that decision was the right one. He has a case for best manager in the confederation & has an interesting team on the field every cup. 5-4-1 is the name of the game & no team is better at adapting to their opponents within the same style. Watch them against teams in Central America or the Caribbean, you will see a free flowing possession-dominant side. See them battle a giant & they bunker-counter at the highest of levels.
Christensen has made this a feature of his reign, not only changing the tone between matches but even at halftime if a game calls for it. Part of the reason it all works is they've got one of the best midfielders in the region in Coco Carrasquilla, the heartbeat of the team. Notice how I didn't bring up the 2025 Gold Cup? They saw a quarterfinal exit, disappointing by the standard they'd set for years, which coincided with Coco's absence through injury. That's a direct effect, his ability to run the entire game as one of those pivot mids is unmatched.
Anibal Godoy is a North American legend & can do the job ok, but is definitely best as second fiddle in a midfield. The front 3 changes like the cast of SNL but there's a clear 1 & 2 if you ask me, Jose Fajardo & Cecilio Waterman, both players who prefer to be that central striker. Fajadro is a much more dynamic runner who adapts to being a winger better; Waterman has a type of play far more locked in for a central forward. Both, but especially Waterman, are genuinely world class at half-chance finishes. The defender room is loaded too - Fidel Escobar is one hell of an anchor & Andres Andrade is a perfect left centerback. Carlos Harvey can put in a shift anywhere on the back 4 or even in midfield. The wingbacks put in good shifts, especially leader Eric Davis on the left side.
I can rave about even more of their players but I'd rather use the space to reel it back in to the fact that, despite them having great players all along the field, so much of it is linked to Coco. Plus, the overall success all comes from Coach Christensen in my mind.
My Worry
It would feel nicer had Panama qualified for Qatar 2022. Even if they had gone 0-fer down there, the group could carry that big stage experience here. There's a lot more eyes on this than on CONCACAF tournaments & it's a massive leap for them to make no matter how much they've proven.
On the field, the only red flag I have down for this team is that they've been weirdly susceptible to getting counterattacked on their own set pieces. I trust in TC to fix that stuff, but opposition scouts have probably identified it.
Mr. Brightside’s take
This team has passed every test of progress, especially with Coco on the field. The trend they've been on would put them at winning a CONCACAF trophy in 2026, but there's none to play for. Instead, they've got a World Cup on their home continent. That screams Big Time.
My Final Take
My own allegiance aside, Panama have been my favorite Men's National team of the past 4 years. They deserve a lot more respect than they get - just like 2017, every time they beat the USMNT to something the conversation is all about the losers rather than the winners.
The run of beating USA has also led to a blanket "terrorist" tag stuck on this team that I hate; watch them throughout the year & they can be so much more. But the defensive soccer has worked for so long & sets them up well as a World Cup underdog.
Thanks for reading!
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