U.S. beats Panama to reach Gold Cup final
Posted June 23, 2011 12:15 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — Clint Dempsey scored in the 77th minute as the United States advanced to the Gold Cup final with a 1-0 victory over Panama on Wednesday night.
The Americans will play in the championship game for the fourth straight time after avenging a 2-1 loss to Panama on June 11 in the group stage.
Freddy Adu made a long-awaited return to the U.S. team and was involved in the winning play with a cross to Landon Donovan, who threaded a pass through to Dempsey.
The U.S. will play the winner of the Honduras-Mexico semifinal in the championship match on Saturday.
The semifinal win continued a sequence for the Americans, who beat Panama in the knockout stage of the tournament for the fourth straight time. The Americans had never lost in the group stage of the tournament, or to Panama in an international match, until the shocking defeat earlier this month.
Both teams were missing top players in the rematch.
Panama forward Blas Perez was red carded in the quarterfinal win over El Salvador, and U.S. forward Jozy Altidore was ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a strained hamstring.
Altidore had scored two of six U.S. goals up to the semifinal, but was hurt early in the 2-0 victory over Jamaica on Sunday.
Tickets sold out for the semifinals doubleheader, but the stadium was only about half-full at the start of the first game.
The Americans generated the first scoring chance in the 17th minute, when Alejandro Bedoya hooked a high cross into the area and Dempsey’s angled header was stopped by Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo.
Donovan sat out the start for the second straight game in the tournament. He attended his sister’s wedding in California and rejoined the team on the morning before the Jamaica match.
He started the second half on Wednesday, replacing Sacha Kljestan.
Adu, who turned 22 last month, also went on in the second half. Adu was playing in Turkey when he got the call to rejoin the American squad for the Gold Cup.
The United States has lost only two of its last 24 games in the Gold Cup, a tournament with 12 teams from Central and North American and the Caribbean.
