KANSAS CITY: Michael Bradley scored the equalizer early in the second half, helping the United States to a 1-1 draw with Panama on Monday night and wrapping up a sluggish but unbeaten trip through group play in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Blas Perez scored in the 34th minute to give Panama (0-1-2) the lead on a hot, humid night in the Midwest, and for a while it looked as if that would be enough.
Goal PAN – No.7 @superraton7 – PAN 1-0 USA #GoldCup2015 #CopaOro2015 @fepafut @ussoccer http://t.co/Bz1PGR7pGg
— Gold Cup 2015 (@GoldCup) July 14, 2015
But after second-half substitutions Clint Dempsey and DeAndre Yedlin energized the Americans (2-0-1), the U.S. finally began to attack. Alejandro Bedoya’s perfect cross wound up on the right foot of Bradley, who poked the equalizer into the net in the 55th minute for his 14th international goal.
Goal USA – No.4 @MichaelBradIey – PAN 1-1 USA #GoldCup2015 #CopaOro2015 @fepafut @ussoccer http://t.co/6NfMAtNeXJ
— Gold Cup 2015 (@GoldCup) July 14, 2015
Already assured of first place in Group A, the U.S. improved to 30-1-3 in Gold Cup group play. But none of the Americans’ three matches in this year’s Gold Cup, including a 2-1 victory over Honduras and a 1-0 win over Haiti, left coach Jurgen Klinsmann brimming with confidence as they head into their quarterfinal Saturday in Baltimore.
The draw left Panama’s advancement hopes uncertain.Panama needed a win to guarantee advancement; La Marea Roja will now have to hope results go their way in the other group games in order to move on. The U.S. required no such result, having won the group after only two games.
