After nine months without international action, fans of the US men’s national team were finally able to get a glimpse into the future. Head coach Gregg Berhalter called up a squad of young Americans based in Europe, so as not to disrupt the MLS playoffs back stateside. Drawing 0-0 against Wales in Cardiff, they took on fellow CONCACAF rivals Panama in an international friendly.
The Panamanians have been able to play a few more fixtures since football has restarted. Playing a series of games against Costa Rica, they had just lost 1-0 to Japan. New coach and former Barcelona player and Spanish international Thomas Christiansen has been able to use these friendlies to see what his players are capable of.
At the end of the night, the American young guns blitzed Panama with an electric offensive display. This tactical analysis will look at how the US picked apart the opposition, and how the Panamanian attack exposed some of the Americans faults.
Lineups
USMNT 4-3-3
Berhalter went with the usual formation employed by the Americans recently. Caen striker Nicholas Gioacchini was given his debut at striker, and he was flanked by Borussia Dortmund wonder kid Gio Reyna and Ulysses Llanez. The midfield trio of Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, and former Arsenal academy product Yunus Musah retained their starting roles.
Panama 4-4-2
Los Canaleros had a relatively inexperienced squad for this friendly. The international retirements of Panamanian greats such as Luis Tejada and Gabriel Enrique Gomez have left big shoes to fill. They were also not able to count on Roman Torres or Anibal Godoy due to their respective teams participating in the MLS playoffs.
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