PANAMA CITY — It's sort of easy to forget just how close Mexico was to missing the 2014 World Cup. Well, it's sort of easy to forget just how close Mexico was to missing the World Cup until you spend a little time in Panama.
Fans here hope Tuesday's sold-out qualifier won't be another in a long line of frustrations that have come at Mexico's hands - directly or indirectly. The 2015 Gold Cup semifinal still stings, but it's nothing like that final day of qualification in 2013 when Graham Zusi's stoppage-time goal for the United States against Panama dropped the Canaleros out of the playoff spot and put Mexico back in.