March 22 – The joy of Panamanian Ceclio Waterman, as he celebrated his last-minute winner against the USA on the set of CBS with former Arsenal great and TV pundit, Thierry Henry, screaming ‘Eres mi idolo’, Spanish for ‘You’re my idol’, reminded all watching that ‘this is the reason we love the game’.
Now Panama boss, Thomas Christiansen, has to do it all again, however he has that delicious substance known as belief flowing through his upstarts as they face the might of Mexico with both teams desperate to claim their first-ever Concacaf Nations League trophy.
After delivering the sucker punch to the Americans, Christiansen will have to decide whether to repeat the tactics and ask the same question of the Mexicans – Can you break us down if we give you the ball.
A measly 30% of possession was enough to find the one opportunity against the US, however, that tactic will surely play into the hands of a Mexican team that loves nothing more than the ball, and the sounds of ‘Ole’ ringing down from a home crowd that is sure to fill SoFi Stadium to the rafters.
Despite allowing the US 12 shots, only 5 were on target and a combination of bodies getting their blocks in, along with assured handling and positioning from Orlando Mosquera presented Christiansen with a fairly stress-free 90 minutes.
History hasn’t been kind to Los Canaleros though as they’ve only beaten Mexico twice in 24 matches, with both those victories occurring during the 2013 Gold Cup. In 2023 Mexico beat Panama in the final of the Gold Cup at the SoFi Stadium. To qualify for that final Panama had beaten the USA on penalties in San Diego.
When it comes to pressure in the region, no one feels it more than the head coach of Mexico. Javier Aguirre who is back for his third go-around managing the national team, knows what it’s like to live under the microscope, where every decision is analysed, dissected, and debated.
While his team always seems to be on the verge of imploding, Aguirre has put together a squad that has the bones to be a threat to anyone on the world stage, and most certainly in the Concacaf region.
With a mixture of home-grown players who ply their trade in Liga MX, and a sprinkling of European know-how, the team is comfortable playing in and out of possession. Sunday’s opponent will surely allow Aguirre’s team plenty of the ball and hope that they contain Raul Jimenez (pictured), who looks back to his best after a brace against Canada.
Jimenez has now scored 37 times for his country, placing him 4th on the all-time list. He will be the first name on every team sheet and how he goes will indicate how far Mexico will go in this final and the summer’s Gold Cup.
With two distinct styles of play, the match has the feel that it could go all the way to extra-time and possibly penalties to decide a champion. For the neutral, an early goal by either team could be the catalyst for an open game because the longer it goes scoreless, a cat, and mouse scenario will develop.
Prediction: Mexico 1-0
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1742633616labto1742633616ofdlr1742633616owedi1742633616sni@o1742633616fni1742633616