The U.S. National Team had reason to celebrate on Sunday, though the look may have been more of relief than of celebration. A 2-0 win over Panama at the StubHub Center brought to an end a five-match winless streak and a stretch that saw it go just 1-5-3 since opening the 2014 FIFA World Cup with a win over Ghana. It also concluded January camp after a grueling month in California and Chile.
Nick Rimando started the match and played the first half, getting back in the win column after suffering his first international loss last week against Chile. The win improved his record to 11-1-2 with the U.S. National Team and the U.S. is now 14-1-3 in matches that the RSL goalkeeper appears in.
Additionally, Luis Gil earned his second cap, subbing on for Clint Dempsey in the 81st minute and manning the midfield for the final minutes of the match.
The U.S. opened scoring in the 27th minute with an Olimpico goal from Michael Bradley, the Toronto FC midfielder scoring directly off a corner kick from the left side. In the 37th minute Dempsey made it 2-0 on an assist from the LA Galaxy’s Gyasi Zardes. That score held in a gritty second half and the U.S. scored a victory in its first home match of 2015.
Rimando and Gil will take the remainder of the week off and will join camp as the club shifts into the next stage of preseason in Tucson, Arizona, next week.
Match: U.S. Men’s National Team vs. Panama
Date: Feb. 8, 2015
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: StubHub Center; Carson, California
Attendance: 20,271
Weather: 72 degrees, partly cloudy
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 2 0 2
PAN 0 0 0
USA – Michael Bradley 27th minute
USA – Clint Dempsey (Gyasi Zardes) 37
Lineups:
USA: 1-Nick Rimando (12-Sean Johnson, 46); 2-DeAndre Yedlin (3-Matt Hedges, 72), 13-Jermaine Jones, 5-Matt Besler, 11-Brek Shea; 4-Michael Bradley, 10-Mix Diskerud (15-Perry Kitchen, 72); 20-Gyasi Zardes, 8-Clint Dempsey (capt.) (14-Luis Gil, 81), 19-Miguel Ibarra (7-Lee Nguyen, 79); 17-Jozy Altidore (18-Chris Wondolowski, 46)
Subs Not Used: 6-Wil Trapp, 16-Shane O'Neill, 21-Dillon Serna
Head coach: Jurgen Klinsmann
PAN: 1-Jaime Penedo (capt.); 2-Leonel Parris, 5-Fidel Escobar (23-Chin Hormechea, 46), 3-Harold Cummings, 17-Luis Ovalle (11-Hécgar Murillo, 46); 8-Marcos Sánchez (16-Yairo Glaize Yau, 46), 13-Alfredo Stephens (22-Ismael Díaz, 55), 20-Aníbal Godoy, 15-Éric Davis; 7-Blas Pérez (21-Ricardo Buitrago, 56), 9-Rolando Blackburn (4-Luis Pereira, 63)
Subs Not Used: 6-Michael Amir Murillo, 10-Gabriel Torres, 12-José Calderón, 19-Jhamal Rodríguez
Head Coach: Hernan Dario Gomez
Stats Summary: USA / PAN
Shots: 6 / 5
Shots on Goal: 5 / 2
Saves: 2 / 3
Corner Kicks: 3 / 5
Fouls: 23 / 15
Offside: 0 / 3
Misconduct Summary:
USA – Michael Bradley (caution) 38th minute
PAN – Luis Ovalle (caution) 40
PAN – Anibal Godoy (caution) 59
USA – Chris Wondolowski (caution) 65
Officials:
Referee: Henry Bejarano (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Warner Castro (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez (HON)
Fourth Official: Oscar Moncada (HON)
