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It’s here. Everyone’s favorite B-Team extravaganza is upon us as the United States men’s national team kick off their 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup against Panama later today in Nashville. In what will undoubtedly be their toughest Group B match-up, Bruce Arena’s side need to get off to a good start to ensure they win the group and face an easier path to the final.
The U.S. has yet to lose a match since Arena took over for the fired Jurgen Klinsmann in December. They’ll likely need to keep that unbeaten record intact (barring a shocking group result) if they hope to lift the trophy later this month. As you probably know by now, the Americans have brought a reserve side full of fringe players looking to prove they belong with the A-Team. That fact didn’t deter them in their warm-up match against a respectable Ghana side as they won, 2-1, last weekend.
Panama will be favorites alongside the U.S. to advance to the knockout rounds. This match will likely come down to which side was more prepared coming in. These two sides will meet in a much more important fixture in October at Orlando City Stadium as the Hex winds down, but for now, we’ll see which country’s Gold Cup squad is better.
Lineups
United States lineup:
#USMNT: Guzan; Zusi, Gonzalez, Besler, Villafaña; McCarty, Acosta; Bedoya, Corona, Rowe; Dwyer. (Hedges, Arriola started vs Ghana) #USAvPAN
— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) July 8, 2017
Panama lineup:
¡Bolillo confirma el XI de Panamá vs USA a RPC! Calderón; Murillo, Vargas, Chen, Ovalle; Bárcenas, Gavilán, Godoy, Camargo, Ismael y Gaby. pic.twitter.com/4pkML91NPv
— Deportes RPC (@deportesrpc) July 7, 2017
How to Watch
Venue: Nissan Stadium; Nashville, Tenn.
Kickoff Time: 4:30 p.m. ET, 1:30 p.m. PT (Actual kick is around 4:50 p.m.)
Available TV: FOX, Univision, Univision Deportes
Available Streams: Univision Deportes, fuboTV (free trial), Sling TV
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