Canada pays for not putting Panama away when it had the chance

Canada was less than three minutes away from a date in the Gold Cup quarter-finals. Instead, Canada’s European-based players get an extended summer vacation, while its MLS- and NASL-based players can prepare for this weekend’s games with their clubs. Luis Tejada scored in injury time to give Panama a 1-1 draw with Canada in their final group-stage game at the Gold Cup in Kansas City. With the U.S. beating Guadeloupe 1-0 in the second half of the doubleheader, the draw relegated Canada to the role of the worst-positioned third-place side of the three groups — and the players and coaches earned tickets home. Panama needed at least a draw out of the game to ensure that it would finish atop Group C and, after falling behind on a second-half penalty from Dwayne De Rosario, came at Canada in waves through the final 20 minutes. In injury time, it all came undone for Canada, which came into the game knowing it couldn’t depend on Guadeloupe to beat the United States, which would have allowed Canada to finish second in Group C with a draw. The Canadians knew that only a win would get it through to the quarter-finals and a date with Mexico, and that it needed to win by multiple goals to avoid the CONCACAF powerhouse. In the 90th minute, with the Panamanians pressing, Canadian fans would have taken a game against Spain. Anything. Just hang on. But a shot from Gabriel Gomez crashed off the bar; it fell to Anibal Godoy, who pushed a low shot into the feet of Canadian keeper Milan Borjan, who was standing on the goal line. Paralyzed, knowing any move would push the ball over the line, Borjan was helpless as Tejada came in and bullied the ball and keeper into the goal. There were Panamanian players wide open all over the Canadian penalty area. While it is easy to look at how poorly the Canadian team dealt with the late Panamanian pressure, the real telling moments in this game came in the first half. Panama Played for Draw Knowing all the side needed was a draw to win Group C, Panamanian coach Julio Dely Valdes decided to send his troops out to play for a draw. Unlike the previous win over the U.S., which saw the Panamanians go for the jugular early in the match, the sat back, happy to deal with the Canadian pressure and defend in numbers. Valdes only started five of the players who started in the 2-1 triumph over the U.S. He didn’t start Armando Cooper, the architect of so many Panamanian attacks against the U.S. Panama started with Tejada, who scored in the win over the Americans, on the bench. Canada was able to control the ball for the majority of the first half. And, the Panamanians looked uncomfortable in trying to play for a 0-0 result. They left gaps in the back. Their organization was poor. And Canada was able to carve out chance after chance. Canada could have been up three at halftime. But, that’s the damning quality of this side. When in front of goal, Canadian players who do so well for their MLS or European clubs continue to shank their chances. Simeon Jackson, who spent the last month of the English season as the hottest striker in any professional division, scoring at will to ensure Norwich City burst into the Premiership, broke in behind the Panamanian backline with only teenage goalkeeper Luis Mejia to beat. He skied his shot over the bar. Off a scrambled free kick, Josh Simpson, who scored a hatful of key goals for Manisaspor had his volley blocked by defender Felipe Baloy. Terry Dunfield, who was absolutely dominating the middle of the park through the first half, laid off a fantastic pass to Dwayne De Rosario at the top of the Panamanian box, he one-touched the ball to Julian De Guzman, who was running towards the right post. But Mejia got out to block the shot. De Rosario then missed a golden chance of his own, smacking a shot into the side netting from less than 10 feet out. It didn’t matter that central midfielder Atiba Hutchinson was missing due to injury, that defender Marcel de Jong was sent home because of an injured shoulder. It didn’t matter that Canada only beat Guadeloupe 1-0. The Canadians created a series of chances that should have at least done more to trouble the young Panamanian keeper. But, in front of goal, Canada simply lacked class and composure. So, when De Rosario converted a 62nd minute penalty, becoming the first player to score at Kansas City’s new Livestrong Sporting Park, there was a sense of relief, but also foreboding. That feeling that Canada would have to try and hang onto a 1-0 lead, when in fact the game should have been out of sight. Canada got the penalty after Panama’s Eybir Bonaga was deemed to have shoved De Rosario in the back as he tried to get to a headed ball from Will Johnson. But, after the goal, Panama, which wanted to win the group, brought Cooper and Tejada into the fold. And the pressure came in waves. Canada could not counter. And, finally, maybe mercifully, the goal came. Don’t Blame the Guadeloupe Game In the end, this wasn’t about scoring a decisive enough win over Guadeloupe — after all it only lost all three of its games by a goal each. So Canada wasn’t out of the ordinary. It wasn’t about the fact that three Group B teams had a major advantage by getting to beat the living daylights out of Grenada, maybe the worst showing we’ve seen at a Gold Cup in decades. In the end, it was about doing the job against a Panamanian team that, for most of the game, clearly wasn’t interested. And Canada couldn’t score when it counted, and couldn’t hang on when it mattered. Now, with World Cup qualifying just months away, we are left with more questions than answers.