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Panama Team Page

Squad

Coach: Julio Dely Valdes

Roster:

Goalkeepers: Rigoberto Austin, Luis Mejia, Guillermo Murillo,

Defenders: Eduardo Dasent, Antonio Leslie, Marvel Mitchel, Carlos Rodriguez, Eric Vasquez, Christian Vergara,

Midfielders: Nelson Barahona, Joshue Brown, Francisco Castaneda, Javier Gonzalez, Pablo Gonzalez, Luis Jaramillo, Luis Ovalle, Celso Polo, Alberto Quintero

Forwards: Armando Cooper, Javier de la Rosa, Gabriel Torres

Scouting Report

Strengths: Panama has speed up front in the form of star striker Josue Jafeth Brown. Coach Julio Dely Valdes, considered Panama's greatest soccer player ever, has plenty of international experience as a player and coach, and his young players will feed off him in Canada. Few expected Panama to even qualify, so they won't be weighted down with the burden on expectations.

Weaknesses: A weak qualifying campaign (one win, one loss and one draw, with four goals scored and eight against) wasn't the best preparation for Panama. The Central American nation is a relative newcomer to the U-20 World Cup – it lost all six games in its previous two appearances – and a team lacking in world-class youth players can't be expected to compete against teams the calibre of Argentina and the Czech Republic.

Player to watch: Josue Jafeth Brown is a fast and creative striker with physical strength and a goal-scorer's instinct. Brown was crucial in Panama's qualifying run as he scored several timely goals, including the winner in a victory over Haiti.

Prognosis: Things don't look good for Panama. The tiny nation from Central America is in the "Group of Death" alongside five-time world champions Argentina, European powerhouse Czech Republic, and Asian Youth Championship winners North Korea. What's more, Panama has lost all six of its previous games at this tournament and don't boast a single dangerous offensive player, aside from Brown. Coach Julio Dely Valdes has already stated his goal is for Panama to earn a draw at this tournament, which might even be beyond his team. Panama plays with great pace, but it simply doesn't have enough quality players to compete. A third-place finish would be a miracle, but expect Panama to finish fourth and to be sent packing after the first round.

ROAD TO THE U-20 WORLD CUP

2007 qualification route: By finishing second in Group A at the 2007 CONCACAF U-20 tournament, Panama stamped its passport for Canada. (The top two teams in each of the two groups in the competition earned a berth.)

Qualifying record: 3 games played, 1 win, 1 loss, 1 draw

Goals for: 4 Goals against: 8

Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Josue Jafeth Brown (2)