Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the International Friendly match.
The USA national team will play their first matches under Mauricio Pochettino. Clearly, achieving a positive result against Panama is crucial for the Argentine manager—every coach looks to start a new tenure with a victory.
USA
The coaching staff under Gregg Berhalter regime seemed to lose the trust of the US Soccer Federation after a disappointing Copa América 2024, where the team failed to progress from a group featuring Bolivia (2:0), Panama (1:2), and Uruguay (0:1). In September, the United States showed some attacking promise against Canada (1:2) and New Zealand (1:1), but a slew of defensive errors left them winless in their fourth consecutive match. Mauricio Pochettino is likely to adopt a 4-2-3-1 formation, which fully utilises the strengths of Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, and Brenden Aaronson.
Panama
Panama’s next World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign resumes next summer, which means friendly matches are on the horizon until then. Despite making it out of their group in the Copa América 2024, they suffered a heavy defeat in the knockout stages against Colombia (0:5), where the favourites dominated in chances (0.54 xG vs 2.08 xG and 2-5 on target). The team faces a clear shortage of standout players, with Marseille defender Amir Murillo being the most notable name.
USA vs Panama Prediction
Over the past seven years, the USA have won five of eight meetings with Panama. In June, the underdog benefited from an early sending off of Timothy Weah—at full strength, the USA should create the necessary impact.
