In their first game of the first round of the semifinal eliminations for soccer’s North America, Central America and the Caribbean region (CONCACAF), played in San Salvador, the Salvadoran team controlled the ball for most of the game, outran Panama and otherwise dominated Panama in all but one most important aspect: they ended up losing to the Panamanians by a 1-0 margin. After a win and a tie against Jamaica and a tie and a loss to the United States, Panama played host to El Salvador on November 17, the round’s final night.
Before the game Panama was in third place in the group, a point behind Jamaica, but with the Reggae Boys set to play the Americans in Columbus, Ohio at the same time that the Panamanians and Salvadorans did battle at Rommel Fernandez Stadium. The Americans, who have not been beaten in CONCACAF play in a long time, were far and away in first place and regardless of the result assured of one of the group’s two tickets to the next round. Three points for a Panamanian victory, combined with a Jamaican loss or tie against the USA, would send Panama to the CONCACAF finals, where our national soccer team has never been before. But a Panama - El Salvador tie, coupled with a Jamaican loss by anything less that a total blowout, would keep us in third place and out of the finals on the strength of Jamaica’s better goals for and against margin.
Worse yet, Panama’s star striker, Roberto “Bombardero” Brown, was in questionable health. You may recall from the sports section of the previous issue of The Panama News a report that he wouldn’t play due to a knee injury. But ultimately Brown said he was healthy enough to take the field and came home from Austria, where he plays professional ball for Salzburg, to take the field.
Brown didn’t take long to make his mark. Panama immediately established its dominance, took its first shot on the Salvadoran goal at two minutes, and then about 30 seconds later Panama’s Ricardo Phillips took a pass inside the penalty area and was fouled by El Salvador’s Julio Castro. Brown took the penalty kick and put it into the net not once, but twice after the referee voided the first attempt. One to zip Panama, at about four minutes.
About a minute and a half later, Brown got a breakaway but was denied only a good save by the Salvadoran goalie. Less than a minute later, however, Julio Medina III curled a perfect corner kick in front of El Salvador’s goal and Felipe Baloy jumped up and headed it into the lower left corner of the net.
Two to nothing Panama, and over the next 12 or 13 minutes El Salvador had to work very hard to keep the home team from scoring on four more occasions.
But at about 21:15, they weren’t so lucky. José Garcés, who surprisingly started in the place of national soccer legend Julio Dely Valdés, got a long pass from Ricardo Phillips and headed into the Salvadoran goal to give Panama a three-goal advantage.
So one-quarter of the way through the game, it was looking like a total blowout, a much different contest from the one in San Salvador.
Ah, but Panama’s luck would not be absolute on this night. At 29 minutes, Brown’s injured knee acted up and he had to leave the field in pain. Jorge Dely Valdés came on in his stead, but from that point on Panama’s total dominance was over.
But the hometown team’s luck didn’t entirely run out. At 38 minutes Phillips got a yellow card from Mexican referee Benito Archundia, who throughout the game was generously sparing with his foul calls. Very generous, in this instance, given that Phillips slugged the guy. But no red card, so the Panamanians didn’t have to defend their lead short-handed.
The second half was an anticlimax, with a few good plays on either side but no more scoring. At about 36:30 Julio “Panagol” Dely Valdés came in for Phillips.
Meanwhile in Columbus, the USA - Jamaica game was winding down with the teams tied at a goal apiece and the Americans playing with 10 men due to a second-half red card. But the Americans hung on for the tie, and that plus the convincing win at the Rommel sent the marea roja washing into the CONCACAF finals, which begin the day after Carnival February and stretch through October.
There will be six teams in the final round, Panama, the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Trinidad-Tobago. The top three go to Germany for the 2006 World Cup and the fourth gets another shot at a home and away ticket in a series with the team that comes in third in the Asian region. The Americans are the overwhelming favorites in the final round, but beyond that nobody will be a clear favorite against Panama. Our national team’s chances to go to Germany thus look pretty good.
When it next takes the field, however, the Panamanian national team will be significantly different. At the end of the game two legends of the Panamanian soccer scene, 37-year-old twin brothers Julio and Jorge Dely Valdés, tearfully announced that this had been their last game for Panama. We can certainly expect a younger and faster team in the CONCACAF finals, but the question to be answered will be whether the Dely Valdés brothers’ scoring ability will be matched or surpassed by the next generation.
