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This is a LIVE post match report. I was at the match with my brother and son and we arrived just in time to see the exodus of Guatemalan fans after a 3-0 defeat to Canada.

The U.S. prevailed 2-1 in a lackluster performance against a penalty depleted squad. Panama frustrated the U.S. in the first-half despite being without regular starters Rolando Escobar and Roman Torres. The pace of the match was punctuated by plenty of poor acting (both sides) and frequent fouls. Twellman had SEVERAL opportunities but just couldn't (surprise) find the back of the net and no real rhythm ever developed between midfield and the forwards before the half ended.

Tim Howard made a brilliant save at the start of the second-half that saved his squad from pressing to overcome a deficit for the remainder of the match. Donovan eventually scored on a penalty kick in the 60th minute. The U.S. got another goal two minutes later off the head of Carlos Bocanegra.

After the goals the U.S. fell asleep. Despite playing a man down, Panama scored in the 84th minute and threatened two or three more times before the match ended (after four minutes of injury time).

More tomorrow on Stephen's discovery of the missing Cuban and our escape from some Panamanian hooligans.

A professional assessment of the match that jives with the one I posted.

Howard showed that he is more than capable of making the big save to keep his team in a game. A veteran of three seasons in England, Howard has already played in his share of big matches, including an FA Cup final and Champions League matches, but Saturday was his first U.S. game with something on the line and he delivered with a key save on Blas Perez that kept the game from being 1-0 Panama early in the second half. There wasn't much doubt going into the match that Howard deserved to be No. 1 but he drove home the point with that clutch stop and has had a solid tournament to date.

...Twellman managed to bolster concerns about his ability to perform on the international level. The New England striker was in his home stadium and received his share of chances, but squandered them all. To his credit, Twellman was active and continuously put himself in good positions to receive service and get off shots, but time after time he failed to hit the mark.

Source

The U.S. will play Canada on Thursday, June 21 in Chicago @ 7:00 EST.

Watching the Pitch
The US may play Dempsey up front as the lone forward with Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley in support. Read here to learn why.

Labels: soccer