Panama join Mexico for New Zealand World Cup

CATHERINE HALL, St James — Panama joined Mexico in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup after beating Guatemala 1-0 in their Group A decider at the Montego Bay Sports Complex yesterday to take the second automatic CONCACAF qualifying spot.

A well-placed header from Ismael Diaz in the 65th minute, his fifth of the competition, was enough for the ‘Canaleros’ to qualify for a fifth men’s FIFA Under-20 World Cup.

Panama won Group A with maximum 15 points and will meet Group B winners Mexico in Saturday’s final to decide the CONCACAF champions.

Guatemala, on 10 points, will get another bite at the cherry when they play a team from Group B in Saturday’s play-offs that will decide the other two CONCACAF places in the World Cup that will be held in New Zealand May-June this year.

It was another workman-like performance by Panama, who had looked sluggish in their 1-0 win over nine-man Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday at the same venue.

Needing to win, Guatemala came out hard but the steely Panama defence, that is yet to give up a goal, held them at bay.

Panama came close to scoring in the first half when Carlos Small’s rocket of a shot flew past the post by less than six inches in the 35th minute.

After several promising build-ups, Panama finally got the breakthrough when Diaz headed home a corner from a right-side cross that beat goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen and flew into the top of the net.

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Panama join Mexico for New Zealand World Cup

Panama on brink of Under-20 World Cup qualification

CATHERINE HALL, St James — Group A leaders Panama made it four wins in a row yesterday when they scratched out a 1-0 victory over nine-man Trinidad and Tobago in their penultimate first-round game at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

Panama were handed the winning goal in the 70th minute when goalkeeper Jason Welsh pushed a cross from Michael Murillo back into his own goal, even as his team battled hard to hang on.

Welsh had made several good saves earlier to keep Trinidad in the game after they went down to 10 men in the 23rd minute after Kadeem Corbin was sent off after picking up a second yellow card in eight minutes.

Akeem Humphrey was shown a straight red card in the 70th minute after he fouled Panama’s Edson Samms just outside the box to further reduce his team’s chances of even earning a point from the encounter.

The win saw Panama move to 12 points and ensured at least a place in the play-offs, should they inexplicably fail to win the group and earn the automatic place for the World Cup in New Zealand.

The game was a timid affair with little or no flair as Trinidad were content to sit behind the ball for long periods, allowing Panama to slowly build up play.

Panama outshot the Caribbean champions 14 to three and restricted the twin-island republic to one shot for the entire 90 minutes.

At half-time in the evening’s second game, Guatemala led the pointless Aruba 1-0, while Jamaica were down to face the USA in the last game of the triple header.

– Paul Reid

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Panama on brink
of Under-20 World Cup qualification

Look What They Found In Panama Canal

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Look What They Found In Panama Canal

Boyz training disrupted by explosions at Panama stadium

Sport

Friday, September 06, 2013 | 8:02 AM

PANAMA CITY, Panama — Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz had their training session at the Rommel Fernandez Stadium interrupted by a barrage of fireworks Thursday night launched from just outside the walls of the 30,000 capacity venue.The players were in the height of preparation for Friday’s CONCACAF World Cup qualifying game against the hosts when loud explosions were heard, shattering the early night’s silence.Each time a volley of the loud explosions were heard, the players stopped and took notice as initially they were unsure of what it was and intended for.Still, the Boyz bravely but cautiously continued their drills, until finally it became unbearable and the session was called off.Officials of the JFF protested to the Match Commissioner on the ground as they suspected that it was an orchestrated action to intimidate the players and disrupt their training rhythm.JFF boss Captain Horace Burrell, who was watching the session, was visibly upset, and so too head coach Winfried Schafer as well as the players.Burrell and other officials of the JFF engaged the Match Commissioner and a Panama Football Federation representative on the offensive explosions, plus other matters.Football-mad Central American nations have a reputation of using intimidating tactics to unsettle opponents ahead of and during matches.– Sean Williams

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Boyz training disrupted by explosions at Panama stadium

Panama profile

23 October 2012 Last updated at 06:52 ET Lying at the crossroads of the North and South American continents and the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Panama is of immense strategic importance.

This has made Panama the frequent object of US attention. The United States supported its secession from Colombia in 1903, and secured a sovereign zone in which to build the Panama Canal – which remained under US control from 1914 until 1999.

The US invaded Panama in 1989 to depose a former ally, military ruler Manuel Noriega, over his repressive rule and use of the country as a centre for drug trafficking.

Panama has the largest rainforest in the Western Hemisphere outside the Amazon Basin and its jungle is home to an abundance of tropical plants, animals and birds – some of them to be found nowhere else in the world.

Skyscrapers have mushroomed in booming Panama City

However, it is for a feat of engineering, the canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, that Panama is famous. Every year more than 15,000 vessels make the eight-hour journey through the waterway, which makes a substantial contribution to the country’s economy.

Continue reading the main story Politics: Democracy was restored in 1989 after more than two decades of military dictatorship. Corruption, the drugs trade and social inequality are major political challenges.Economy: The canal brings in a large chunk of Panama’s GDP, with offshore finance, manufacturing and a growing tourism sector also fuelling strong growth. Bananas are the main cash crop.International: Strategically important Panama maintains close diplomatic and cultural ties with the US. It is a member of the Organisation of American States.

Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

Panama is widening the canal, which is more than 90 years old and operating almost at full capacity, to allow it to handle more and larger vessels. Work on the scheme, which was approved in a referendum in 2006, began in September 2007.

Offshore finance, manufacturing and a shipping registry generate jobs and tax revenues. Panama’s services-based economy also benefits from the Colon free trade zone, home to some 2,000 companies and the second largest in the world.

A free trade agreement with the US was negotiated in 2006 but its implementation was held up pending approval by the US Congress, which was not granted until 2011.

Bananas are the main cash crop, but the trade has been hit by disease and is vulnerable to tariff changes in the European export market.

Panama faces the challenge of shaking off its reputation as a major transit point for US-bound drugs and illegal immigrants, and as a haven for money-laundering.

It also needs to address social inequality. Elite families of European descent control most of Panama’s wealth and power, while about 33% of the population lived below the poverty line.

The canal, the natural attractions of its pristine forests and coastlines, and a lively, modern capital are fuelling a growing tourism industry.

Global artery: The Panama Canal allows trade to pass easily between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans

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Panama profile

US to face Panama in Gold Cup final

Sport

Friday, July 26, 2013

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The United States advanced to the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 3-1 win over Honduras on Wednesday, with Landon Donovan scoring two goals and setting up another.Sunday’s final will pit the US against Panama, which beat Mexico 2-1 to prevent the expected US-Mexico final.The Americans struck first when Donovan found Eddie Johnson running through the middle. He dribbled the ball then powered a shot past the goalkeeper to put the hosts ahead in the 11th minute.In the 27th minute, Donovan controlled a short chip off his chest and poked a shot past the ‘keeper.Nery Medina headed in a cross to pull a goal back for Honduras in the 52nd minute, but Donovan restored the two-goal lead a minute later.In the later game, Roman Torres’ glancing header from a Gabriel Torres corner proved the winner as Panama upset Mexico.Panama then resisted prolonged Mexico pressure, which yielded four good scoring opportunities over the next 30 minutes but no goals.Blas Perez struck first, giving Panama a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute when he blasted a shot to the near post.In the 26th minute, Mexico’s Marco Fabian got around a defender deep in the box and then lofted a cross to the far post where Luis Montes’ diving header sent the ball into the far upper corner for the equaliser.Panama’s Blas Perez (# 7) and Mexico’s Luis Montes (# 8) battle for control of the ball during the first half of the Gold Cup semi-finals at Cowboys Stadium on Wednesday in Arlington, Texas. (PHOTO: AP)

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US to face Panama in Gold Cup final

Panama shock Mexico to book Gold Cup final spot

Latest News

USA defeat Honduras to advanceThursday, July 25, 2013 | 7:28 AM

ARLINGTON, Texas — Panama delivered a sledge hammer blow on champions Mexico by knocking them out of the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 2-1 semi-final win in front of a capacity crowd at Cowboys Stadium on Wednesday night.Panama have now advanced to the final where they will meet the USA who comfortably dispatched Honduras 3-1 in the first match of a double-header.Panama silenced the massive Mexican support in the 13th minute when their talisman Blas Perez blasted home from an angled position after being fed by Alberto Quintero.Mexico rallied in spectacular fashion when Luis Montes arrived unmarked to send a flying header home after a sweet lofted cross into the area by Marco Fabian operating on the left side.The silence that greeted the first Panama goal was repeated when the second went in the 61st minute. Panama took the lead when skipper Roman Torres left his defensive zone to head home Gabriel Torres’ corner.It was the second 2-1 defeat Mexico were suffering at the hands of Panama in this tournament, having lost to them in the group stage in Pasadena, California.Meanwhile Man-of-the-Match Landon Donovan spurred the USA with a brace in the 27th and 53rd minutes, following the opening strike by teammate Eddie Johnson in the 11th.Honduras pulled back a goal in the 52nd minute through Nery Medina.The final of the Gold Cup, with US$1 million awaiting the winner, will held at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sunday.-Sean WilliamsLike our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Panama shock Mexico to book Gold Cup final spot

Panama detains N Korean ship

News

Tuesday, July 16, 2013 | 1:47 PM

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama’s president says on his Twitter account that authorities have seized a North Korean-flagged ship travelling from Cuba with “undeclared military cargo.”President Ricardo Martinelli offered no details but posted a photo of what appeared to be a green tubular object sitting inside a cargo container or the ship’s hold.Panamanian officials verified the tweet was authentic but did not immediately respond to requests for further details.

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Panama detains N Korean ship