LOS ANGELES, California – For the Men’s National Team of Panama, a chance to etch their names forever into Concacaf lore is there for the taking on Sunday in the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup Final against Mexico at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
While the 2023 Gold Cup officially started for Panama on June 26 in their Group C opener against Costa Rica in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the path toward this third Final appearance started weeks prior in the Las Vegas desert during the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League Finals.
Even though Panama were defeated in both matches, a 2-0 semifinal loss to Canada and a 1-0 defeat to Mexico in the Third Place Match, the time spent on the training field together laid the groundwork for their Gold Cup run.
Head Coach Thomas Christiansen could not have asked for a better start to their Gold Cup campaign with a 2-1 victory over the Ticos thanks to goals from Jose Fajardo and Edgar Barcenas. That was followed by another 2-1 win, this time against Martinique at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, with Fajardo scoring again, along with Michael Murillo.
Goals from Fidel Escobar and Ismael Diaz resulted in a 2-2 draw in their Group C finale with El Salvador at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas, to secure a first-place finish in the group for the Canaleros, the first time they achieved that feat since the 2013 edition.
With their ticket punched to their first knockout round since 2019, Panama took to the field to face guest nation Qatar in the quarterfinals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
A first half Barcenas goal earned Panama a 1-0 halftime lead, but in the second half the storyline quickly changed to Diaz. The 26-year-old striker enjoyed a 10-minute spell for the ages by scoring three goals to cement a 4-0 win for Panama.
Diaz made history by scoring the fastest hat trick in Gold Cup history with his goals in the 56th, 63rd and 65th minutes.
That set up a semifinal showdown with the United States, the team that defeated Panama in the 2005 and 2013 Gold Cup Finals. No goals could be found over the course of the 90 minutes, so extra time was needed and in the additional frame Ivan Anderson scored to give Panama a 1-0 lead.
The assist came from the boot of MF Adalberto Carrasquilla, who throughout this Gold Cup tournament has been the orchestrator of the Panama midfield and delivered an absolute masterclass against the U.S. with his ball-switching, possession recovery and incisive passing.
Despite an equalizing goal from the U.S. in extra time, the day still belonged to Panama. Another one of the heroes proved to be GK Orlando Mosquera, who made two saves in the penalty shootout. Carrasquilla then converted the winning penalty with poise and composure to punch Panama’s ticket to Sunday’s Final.
From start to finish in this Gold Cup, Panama have exhibited intelligent and opportunistic football and have put themselves into position to make history.
