As things stand, the USA have already secured their spot in the quarter-finals, despite not impressing in their first two matches against Honduras and Haiti. Whether it is a combination of Jurgen Klinsmann's constant rotation, with the German tactician not only switching his formation but also whom he chooses to field in defense, the reigning Gold Cup champions have yet to hit full-stride.
They have had to rely on star attacker Clint Dempsey to bail them out, with the 32-year-old Seattle Sounders ace netting all three of his team's goals so far at this tournament. As things stand, Dempsey is firmly in the running to also clinch the Golden Boot should he keep up his hot streak in front of goal.
Given that there is not much turnaround time between games, one cannot necessarily fault Klinsmann for tinkering with his squad as he seeks to keep his players fresh as they aim to make it a sixth Gold Cup title. USMNT fans could be disappointed to see key players Dempsey and Michael Bradley sitting on the bench after playing the full 90 minutes versus Haiti and Honduras.
And despite the fact that they are already through, he is nonetheless still expecting his men to put in a good performance against familiar opponent Panama later this evening at Kansas City's Sporting Park:
"[Our] approach is picking up more rhythm, going for another three points, and finishing off the group with three wins," he noted following their slim win over Haiti.
"[While] it's a nice feeling knowing we are already first, it doesn't mean that we are slowing down now. We will give it a very good game and keep on building confidence and fine tuning elements and improve."
Meanwhile upcoming opponents Panama are in second spot with just two points from their matches against Honduras and Haiti. With those two sitting on one point a piece, this game could prove to be make-or-break for the two-time Gold Cup finalists, who do not have happy memories facing the USA.
Interestingly, it was the USMNT who thwarted them twice in the Gold Cup finals, first in 2005 and 2013, thus denying them the chance to break into that elite group of winners that has been dominated by the USA and Mexico. Then, of course, was their heartbreak suffered during World Cup qualifiers, when they somehow threw away a 3-1 lead to allow two goals in stoppage time and thus were denied a spot in the much coveted play-off round.
Panama have failed to beat the USA in their last five matches across all competitions. However, as luck would have it, the scheduling of the group stages matches could play perfectly into their hands. With Haiti and Honduras set to take to the pitch first, Hernan Dario Gomez's side will come into this game knowing exactly what they need to do in order to avoid third place and a possible dreaded match-up with Group C's winner.
Do the USA have enough left in the tank to complete the group stages with a 100 per cent win record? Or will Panama finally be able to break their streak of bad luck against the USA? Make sure you do not miss out on this interesting Group A final clash by bookmarking LiveSoccerTV.com's Gold Cup broadcast page for all viewing and streaming information for wherever you call home.
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