Panama vs. Bolivia
Copa America Centenario
June 4 | 7:30 pm ET | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Flordia
TV: FS2, Univision, UDN
Group D’s two underdogs will kick off their Copa America Cenentario campaigns knowing that three points will be critical if they are to have any hope whatsoever of somehow surpassing Argentina or Chile for one of the group’s two spots in the quarterfinals.
Waiting for Godoy
Anibal Godoy has been perhaps the most underrated central midfielder in MLS this year, bossing the middle of the park and serving as the engine room for a San Jose Earthquakes side that leans heavily on those characteristics in its typical 4-4-2 formation. Now, he will look take that energy and lead Panama to an unlikely run in the Copa America.
Godoy is far from the only MLS-connected player on Panama’s roster, with Vancouver Whitecaps forward Blas Perez once again set to take up the goalscoring burden for his country. Quakes winger Alberto Quintero also figures to feature for Los Canaleros, while former MLSers Jaime Penedo, Gabriel Gomez and Gabriel Torres are also on the roster.
On the Bolivian side, there are two US connections: Miami-born Holy Cross alum Alejandro Melean is now a regular in La Verde’s midfield, while New York Cosmos striker Yasmani Duk figures to feature on the front line.
Any hope for Bolivia?
Bolivia have been picked by most pundits as the punching of the tournament, a notion only reinforced by a 4-0 demolition at the hands of the United States in a recent warm-up friendly. If they are to make a mark on this edition of the Copa America, it will likely come from the feet of playmaker Jhasmani Campos, one of the few Bolivian players to ply his trade overseas (at Kuwaiti outfit Kazma). Veteran winger Juan Carlos Arce could also be a factor for Bolivia – he boasts an extensive resume playing abroad and has actually scored one of his eight international goals against Panama, in a 3-1 friendly loss back in 2011.
North vs. South
Competitive games between North and South American games are few and far between, so this could be another interesting benchmark to see where the two continents stand against each other. Mexico scored North America’s first win of the tournament against a South American side, after the United States, Costa Rica, Haiti and Jamaica combined to go 0-3-1 in the first two-and-a-half days of the Copa America. Panama are favored by the oddsmakers to top Bolivia, and another win – and, of course, continued success in the tournament from all CONCACAF sides – could serve as a good marker for the growth of the region’s game, especially outside the US, Mexico and Costa Rica.
