Panama and Canada will meet on Wednesday in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Nations League.
The teams are one step away from playing in their first CONCAFAC Nations League final. The winner will face off with the United States or Mexico in the final match.
Trophy on the line 🏆Your #CANMNT Roster for Concacaf Nations League Finals! 🇨🇦#CANMNT x @CIBC pic.twitter.com/LAEE16fCvd— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) June 7, 2023
Trophy on the line 🏆Your #CANMNT Roster for Concacaf Nations League Finals! 🇨🇦#CANMNT x @CIBC pic.twitter.com/LAEE16fCvd
The tournament started a year ago with 41 teams fighting to reach Las Vegas and the semifinals. Panama topped Group B with 10 points, finishing ahead of Costa Rica and Martinique.
Canada won Group C, which featured Honduras and Curacao, with nine points. Canada and Panama will see their semifinal draw as the best possible. Both national teams avoided CONCACAF’s big teams, the U.S.A. and Mexico.
Both Canada and Panama will see themselves as the next biggest teams in CONCACAF. Canada qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and Panama represented the confederation in Russia in 2018.
Since playing at the World Cup 2022, Canada have won two straight matches, defeating Curacao and Honduras by a combined 6-1. Club Brugge’s Cyle Larin scored three goals in the two matches.
Panama, on the other hand, are also on a two-game winning streak. They defeated Costa Rica 1-0 and Nicaragua 3-2. Panama’s back-to-back wins ended a six-match winless streak.
Coach Thomas Christiansen has a squad mostly made up of players competing in various South American football leagues. Only eight of Christiansen’s team play outside of the region. Although the team’s overall quality is low, Panama are a feisty team.
Panama did not concede a goal in the group stage. However, their quality of opponents (Costa Rica and Martinique) was low. Costa Rica and Martinique scored a combined five goals in four games.
Harold Cummings is the most-capped player for the Panama squad. The journeyman centre-back has appeared 81 times for Panama.
Canada have one of the most dangerous attacks in CONCACAF. It rivals the U.S.A. and Mexico in terms of offensive production. Larin is in fine form for the national team despite his career stalling at the club level. He will play next to Lille striker Jonathan David, who is one of Europe’s most-wanted strikers.
David scored two goals in Canada’s last two games to go along with Larin’s three. Joining David and Larin in attack will be Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies and Tajon Buchanon. Buchanan recently signed a contract with Inter Milan. He is another high-profile Canadian star playing in Europe.
Canada conceded three goals in the group stage. Wednesday’s match in Las Vegas should be close and cagey with neither team forcing the issue. The match should finish nil-nil with extra time and possibly penalties needed.