CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying: USA 2 – Panama 0
The United States shutout Panama 2-0 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle to move to the top of the table in the final round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying. Jozy Altidore opened the scoring in the 35th minute with Eddie Johnson adding the second goal in the 53rd.
“I didn’t know it was a goal,” Johnson said. “The ball was good and it was just about my first touch. Your first touch is everything—you set yourself up for your next touch. I lured across my defender and the most important thing for me was to relax and to be composed in the box. The first touch was good and at the end of the day, if I’m a winger I become a striker in the box when I’m in front of the goal.”
Elsewhere in CONCACAF, Mexico and Costa Rica finished scoreless at Azteca Stadium and Honduras beat Jamaica 2-0 in San Pedro Sula. The US plays Honduras on Tuesday, Jun 18 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah (9pm ET – ESPN). DaMarcus Beasley misses that game due to yellow card accumulation. Jozy Altidore, Matt Besler, Michael Bradley, Geoff Cameron, Brad Davis, Clint Dempsey, Brad Evans, Tim Howard, and Fabian Johnson all carry a yellow card.
The United States now leads the final round of Qualifying with ten points. Costa Rica and Mexico are separated by goal difference with eight points in 2nd and 3rd. Honduras is in 4th with seven points, followed by Panama with six points and Jamaica with two. Mexico and Jamaica played last Tuesday, with the rest of the teams catching up on games played on June 18th.
— GAME REPORT —
Match: U.S. Men’s National Team vs. Panama
Date: June 11, 2013
Competition: 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying; Final Round
Venue: Century Link Field; Seattle
Kickoff: 7:08 p.m. PT
Attendance: 40,847
Weather: 74 degrees, partly cloudy
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 1 1 2
PAN 0 0 0
USA – Jozy Altidore (Fabian Johnson) 36th minute
USA – Eddie Johnson (Geoff Cameron) 53
Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 6-Brad Evans, 3-Omar Gonzalez, 5-Matt Besler, 7-DaMarcus Beasley; 4-Michael Bradley, 20-Geoff Cameron; 18-Eddie Johnson (10-Joe Corona, 87), 8-Clint Dempsey (capt.), 23-Fabian Johnson (14-Brad Davis, 87); 17-Jozy Altidore (11-Stuart Holden, 90+1)
Substitutions Not Used: 12-Brad Guzan, 2-Edgar Castillo, 9-Terrence Boyd, 15-Michael Parkhurst , 16-Sacha Kljestan, 21-Clarence Goodson, 22-Nick Rimando
Head coach: Jurgen Klinsmann
PAN: 1-Jaime Penedo; 2-Leonel Parris, 5-Roman Torres, 23-Felipe Baloy (capt.), 4-Carlos Rodriguez; 8-Marcos Sanchez, 21-Amilcar Henriquez (9-Gabriel Torres, 78), 11-Armando Cooper (10-Nelson Barahona, 60), 19-Alberto Quintero; 20-Anibal Godoy (16-Rolando Blackburn, 59); 18-Luis Tejada
Substitutions Not Used: 12-Luis Mejia, 3-Roberto Chen, 6-Gabriel Gomez, 7-Edwin Aguilar, 13-Jean Carlo Cedeño, 14-Juan de Dios Perez, 15-Kevin Melgar, 17-Luis Henriquez, 22-Rolando Escobar
Head coach: Julio Dely Valdes
Stats Summary: USA / PAN
Shots: 12 / 8
Shots on Goal: 3 / 2
Saves: 2 / 1
Corner Kicks: 2 / 1
Fouls: 20 / 13
Offside: 1 / 2
Misconduct Summary:
USA – Jozy Altidore (caution) 56th minute
PAN – Marcos Sanchez (caution) 69
USA – Geoff Cameron (caution) 69
USA – DaMarcus Beasley (caution) 90+2
USA – Tim Howard (caution) 90+3
Officials:
Referee: Roberto Garcia (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Luis Camargo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Fourth Official: Joseph Ramirez (CRC)
