USA vs Panama Preview: USA – Panama Odds, Picks & Predictions

USA vs Panama Odds, USA – Panama Picks

It's time to preview USA vs Panama and make a best bet and pick for Thursday's Copa America game.

The U.S. men's national team can all but assure itself of a place in the Copa America quarterfinals if it can defeat a very respectable Panama side in both teams' second Group C match on Thursday in Atlanta.

The Americans dominated a poor Bolivia side in their 2-0 group-opening victory in North Texas on Sunday. But some of the harsher critics of manager Gregg Berhalter's side would contend it should have been three or four goals against arguably the tournament's worst team.

Panama fell 3-1 to a Uruguay group that were exceptional before halftime, but almost let Los Canaleros back into the match in the second before pulling away late.

To make a Panama prediction, it involves looking at their previous matchups and analyzing their threat to the U.S. team. They almost certainly need a point to stay alive in the group considering the overwhelming likelihood that Uruguay will defeat Bolivia in Thursday's other Group B contest.

There won't be many secrets between these sides, who have met in three of the past four CONCACAF Gold Cups and twice in each of the last three World Cup Qualifying cycles.

For those interested in betting tips, the best bets after looking at the odds for the USA vs Panama match includes a prediction on a team total under.

Here is my USA – Panama preview.

USA Picks

Christian Pulisic gave one of his best performances in a U.S. shirt against Bolivia, scoring a brilliant opener from distance only two minutes in and then setting up Folarin Balogun's second just before halftime. It was also one of the American captain's best games in terms of set-piece delivery, though it didn't lead to a goal.

But it was also a strange game in that the Americans scored twice before halftime from relatively few chances created, then failed to score on a host of second-half opportunities. North Texas native Ricardo Pepi was the worst culprit, missing two of the game's three "big chances" according to FotMob in quick succession, when he was twice saved by Bolivia goalkeeper Guillermo Vizcarra.

Tyler Adams played a planned 45 minutes for the United States, and he reportedly lobbied for more time with Berhalter, who wisely declined the request. Perhaps the defensive midfielder will be pushed further against a Panama side that offers a good deal more challenges in midfield.

This might not feel like a high-pressure game, but the reality is that even settling for a draw could make things very dicey on the final day and possibly leave the U.S. needing at least a point against Uruguay.

Panama Picks

Underestimate Panama at your own peril.

There is a sense among some American pundits that Los Canaleros' repeated history of giving the Americans tough matches is fluky and unique to when those particular two sides play. It's not at all the truth, as evidenced by Panama's 6-1 demolition of Costa Rica in a two-leg Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal to get here.

The 2022 World Cup Qualifying cycle probably came a little too soon for manager Thomas Christiansen and a group that was in transition. But since then, Houston Dynamo midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla and Marseilles fullback Michael Murillo are among the Panamanians that have come into their primes.

However, Panama join Mexico among the Copa American competitors missing their captain, with defensive midfielder Anibal Godoy forced out with a quadriceps strain he picked up in tournament preparations.

Even so, the quality of Panama's opening performance against a Uruguay side most think is better than the United States was striking in defeat. While the score reflected a comfortable victory for the South Americans, the expected goals stats showed only a 1.5 to 0.6 advantage.

USA vs Bolivia | Copa America 2024 Picks & PredictionsRead now

USA vs Panama

Prediction

The United States have four wins by three or more goals over Panama, but the stage matters. Two of those came in home World Cup Qualifiers, and the third came in a friendly.

While this is another game on home soil, the advantages historically aren't nearly the same as in a home qualifier where the Americans pick everything from the venue to the kickoff time, and the visitors fly in only a day or two before.

The teams' record in the Gold Cup is quite different, with nearly all the games decided by a single goal or finishing level and goals coming at an absolute premium. But that's also not a perfect comparison, since the Gold Cup is often a tournament used by the USMNT to explore its roster depth by inviting mostly domestically-based players.

Even so, the United States have consistently underperformed attacking expectations during tournament play. And while the setup from Panama may be somewhat similar to what Bolivia showed, Panama are far more capable of offering a credible counterattacking threat and defending in the physical manner needed against the U.S.

The Americans already benefitted from two well above average finishes on their opening game, and they were unable to add on against the worst team in the tournament. Goals could be even harder for them to find here. They'll probably still take a point and maybe three, but I'm going against popular sentiment here and playing them to score only 0 or 1 goal at +160 odds and an implied 38.5% probability.

Pick: United States Team Total Under 1.5 (+160 via Caesars)

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