KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The sluggish play. The porous back line. The inability to finish off good chances.
None of the defects that slowed the United States during group play in the CONCACAF Gold Cup has swayed the opinion of Panama coach Hernan Gomez, who still believes the defending champions are the favorites in the knockout rounds.
"They group together well. They play together well," Gomez said after Panama held the U.S. to a 1-1 draw in Group A on Monday night. "My personal opinion? This is the team to beat."
Not that things have necessarily been easy in Group A.