US to face Panama in Gold Cup Quarters Saturday

The USA-Mexico showdown at the Gold Cup will have to wait for later.  Mexico again struggled but held off Panama, 1-0, on Wednesday in Houston to finish second in Group C and avoid a date with the USA in the quarterfinals. Instead, it's Panama, one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament, that Bob Bradley's unbeaten Americans will meet in a difficult quarterfinal test.

Panama looked to be the better team for much of the game, but PSV defender Carlos Salcido's 58th-minute goal off a corner kick was enough to beat Panama, which finished third.

The Canaleros twice hit the woodwork on shots by Felipe Baloy and Ricardo Phillips, and their forwards, Jose Luis Garces and Blas Perez, were a handful for the nervous Mexican defense. The game was costly for Panama, however, as Rolando Escobar and Ramon Torres were both ejected late in the game.  Earlier, Carlos Pavon struck four goals to give Honduras to a 5-0 win over Cuba and capture first place in Group C. Amado Guevara scored the fifth Honduran goal. The Catrachos finished tie with Mexico for first place with six points but won the tiebreaker by virtue of their 2-1 win over Mexico on Sunday.

Landon’s scoring prowess gives many teams too much to handle, but he has been particularly potent against Panama. Donovan has three goals and two assists in the last four matches he has played against the marearoja, including a two-goal performance in the 6-0 semifinal round World Cup qualifier on Oct. 13, 2004 at RFK Stadium. He also provided the game-tying assist to Cobi Jones in second half stoppage time that earned the U.S. a point from the 1-1 draw on Sept. 9, 2004, in Panama City. The USA’s all-time leader in points scored the middle goal of the comprehensive 3-0 final round qualifying win on June 8, 2005, in Panama.