On Saturday, the United States soccer team hosted Panama in the Quarterfinal of the 2009 Gold Cup at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The game was part of a double header that included the Canada - Honduras quarterfinal.
The US team came out flat and timid, and Panama was able to retain possession and had several good chances in the first half. Then, while trying to head the ball towards goal, US defender Jimmy Conrad collided heads with a Panama player and received a mild concussion. As a result the US played a player down for several minutes. When Clarence Goodson game on as a sub, he was immediately called on to defend a corner, which he failed to do and Panama was up 1-0 going into halftime. The US would come out of the locker room a different team, however, and Kyle Beckerman would tie the game in the 49th minute on a shot from just outside the box. The Americans controlled play for the most of the second half, but were unable to find a winner and the game went into extra time. Then, 15 minutes into extra time, US forward Kenny Cooper received a vicious set of cleats to the torso and won a penalty kick for his team. He would successfully take the kick and the US would go on to win 2-1.
OTB was at the game to take in the action and was impressed with the turnout and passion of the fans. During the first game, Honduras seemed like the home team. Possibly a third of the crowd was there to support the Hondurans, and it showed in their play. The US fan club, Uncle Sam's Army, was there in full voice also, complete with drums and horns. The South African horns that were made so famous during last month's Confederations Cup were also on full display (and on sale.) Overall, it was a pretty great experience for all of the thirty-one thousand supporters of all four participating nations who attended. The atmosphere bods well for next year's introduction of Philadelphia Union into Major League Soccer.
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