U.S. wants to control its own destiny in tonight’s qualifier,
There is one phrase repeated in every interview given by the United States coach and players. A variation of it even appears in U.S. Soccer’s official news releases leading to the match. “Control our own destiny.” A phrase dramatic enough to fit the situation the U.S. faces when it plays Panama at 7 p.m. Friday in a World Cup qualifier that is critical in determining the fate of both teams.
A sellout crowd is expected at Orlando City Stadium, though there are still tickets available to the Americans’ final home match of The Hex.
“The World Cup is in our hands. We control our own destiny,” said Winter Park native and U.S. midfielder Dax McCarty.
It’s not a rallying cry or motivational tool, he insisted, the teams needs none of that.
"It’s just the truth,” McCarty said. “It’s just a fact of how we have to frame out mindset. We can’t start getting into different scenarios, well if we tie or we lose we have to hope these results go a certain way. No, there’s no talk like that going on in our camp. It’s take care of our own business, worry about ourselves, win the games that are in front of us and we’re going to the World Cup.”
The U.S. is in fourth place out of six teams competing in the final round of CONCACAF qualifiers. Panama is one point up in third place and No. 5 Honduras is tied with the Americans at nine points.
No. 1 Mexico and already clinched a berth to the 2018 World Cup in Russia and No. 2 Costa Rica is well ahead of the rest of the teams with 15 points. Whichever country finishes third will get an automatic bid, too. Fourth place enters an intercontinental playoff against either Australia or Syria. The rest go home until the next World Cup cycle.
“This is what high-level athletes and coaches are supposed to be about,” U.S. coach Bruce Arena said. “We’re playing in a big game, which means there’s going to be big moments and we need to have big performances. And I believe we’re prepared to do that.
“When I took the job at the end of November, we were 0-2, dead last in sixth place. To think that it wasn’t coming down to games nine and 10, you’d have to be pretty stupid. If you told me we had to win our last home game to position us to get into the World Cup, I’d say that’s OK.”
Arena stuck to a mostly familiar lineup aside from a few surprises — the absence of Fabian Johnson and addition of Benny Feilhaber — that suggests a 3-5-2 formation.
Featured players include strikers Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore; midfielders such as 30-year-old Michael Bradley and 19-year-old Christian Pulisic; English Premier League defenders Geoff Cameron and DeAndre Yedlin; and goalkeeper Tim Howard, among others.
“It’s an important game, but we’ve been here before,” Altidore said. “Nothing new, and everyone is prepared and ready to go.”
Altidore described Panama as an organized team that moves the ball quickly and is good on the counterattack, so the U.S. needs “to be conscious of that” and not give the ball away in “silly places.”
Panama’s national team program has steadily grown over the years, and there will be added incentive to beat the Americans, who famously scored two late goals in a 2013 qualifier to quash Panama’s hopes for a first trip to the World Cup. Longwood native Graham Zusi scored one of those goals and is again on the U.S. roster for Friday night’s match.
Defense has been the key for Panama during The Hex. MLS Players such as centerbacks Roman Torres (Seattle Sounders) and Adolfo Machado (Houston Dynamo) and right back Michael Murillo (San Jose) have helped Panama allow just five goals in eight games.
“We have good focus on our concepts on how to attack the Panamanian defense,” Arena said, adding he expects the same type of physical, aggressive match the U.S. saw in a March qualifier in Panama that ended 1-1. “We’re going to go out there and try to win this game from minute 1.”