USMNT’s Matt Turner Warns of Intense ‘Hostility’ and ‘Physicality’ Before Copa America Showdown With Panama

The USMNT appears to be moving towards a revolution. From increasing interest among the fans to consistent performances, the Stars and Stripes are making reasonable progress. The team is displaying competitiveness outside North American tournaments with a resilient performance against Bolivia in their Copa America opener. However, as easy as it may seem to face Panama in the next fixture, the clash could test the muscle and endurance of the teams, feels goalkeeper Matt Turner.

The former Arsenal goalkeeper is up for it with the USMNT trying to avenge some previous issues with their relatively regular rivals. Talking to Fox Sports, he said, “Familiarity is good. It breeds a more hostile game, I think. You can expect to see some chippiness and physicality, because yeah we’ve played each other. Obviously, we had more success against them on our home soil in recent years,” suggesting some fireworks during the game.

But the bigger driving force for Turner is their previous results where Panama won two games against USMNT, ranked at least 30 spots above them. “But we did lose to them in the Gold Cup semifinal last year and lost to them down in Panama in the World Cup qualifying. So I personally never beat Panama, so it’d be nice to tick that box for me and it’s a game I’m really motivated for,” deemed the goalie.

Meanwhile, USMNT has a pretty dominating history against the 43rd-ranked side winning 18 of the 26 matches they played. Although they lost four games, two of them came in the last three games. Gregg Berhalter’s men succumbed to them in penalties in their CONCACAF Gold Cup last July and also lost a game a year earlier in the World Cup qualifiers. Hence, the entire unit is adamant about winning with a message.

USMNT coach echoes a similar message before the game suggesting fierce battles

The USMNT looks prepared for an intense battle as coach Berhalter is aware of Panama’s strengths. He stated that the crew would not shy away from any physical battles and embrace them since it was never a problem. Berhalter also praised Panama’s technical prowess, stating, “They have a lot of consistency with the group that they’ve been playing, especially the guys up top,” and further suggested that their wing-backs and midfielders are strong in attacking and controlling the game, respectively.

Therefore, the fans will be up for a thriller at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta tonight. The USA has beaten Bolivia 2-0 and will go in as favorites with its captain Christian Pulisic in fine form. But whether they can get through the defense of a physically strong Panama will make it a challenging task.