Posted on July 3, 2012
GUATEMALA CITY – Miguel Lasso scored four goals, including a first-half hat-trick, to spark Panama to a 5-2 victory over the United States in a Group A match at the 2012 CONCACAF Futsal Championship on Monday night.
The U.S. next faces Canada at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 3, before taking on the defending champion and host Guatemala at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 4, in what will be the 100th CONCACAF Futsal Championship match. All of the games are streamed live on CONCACAF.com.
“Our backs are definitely against the wall,” U.S. coach Keith Tozer said. “We know have to come up with a victory against Canada and then play the defending champs in the third game to go through. It’s kind of disappointing, but there’s nothing we can do about it right now. Right now we have to focus on Canada.”
Panama opened the scoring in the sixth minute with Lasso carrying up the ball up the left flank and cutting inside before letting loose a short-range blast into the net.
Lasso’s second goal came in the 14th minute. The Americans responded with a goal 35 seconds later. Machel Millwood, on the left flank, touched it back to Patrick Healey, who ran up the flank in an overlapping run. Healey sent the ball to Bryan Perez on the left post. Perez hit a one-timer, blasting it past goalkeeper Jose Victoria for his first career goal.
But it was Lasso who stamped the seal on the first half with a third goal only 10 seconds later. Panama raced down on a counterattack and the U.S. defense did well to recover. Lasso hit a hard shot into a wall of white jerseys and the bounce came right back to him. He slipprf his second attempt around the defense and into the net.
The U.S. came out with renewed energy in the second half, getting off five shots in the first two minutes. In the 27th minute, Panama forward Apolinar Galvez was booked for taking down Myers as he streaked toward goal on a breakaway. On the restart, midfielder Angel Rivillo passed to the left for Kraig Chile, who slammed it low and into the near corner, past the sprawling Victoria, for his fifth career goal.
Panama kept the pressure up, counter-attacking and giving goalkeeper Daniel Waltman with a busy night. In the 29 th minute, Claudio Goodridge broke through and blasted a shot that deflected off a U.S. defender before Waltman made the save and sent the ball skidding off the crossbar. Four of Waltman’s eight saves came in the final five minutes.
As the U.S. tried to tie the match, Tozer pulled the goalkeeper and sent on Healey and Myers as alternating fifth attackers. Panama took advantage of the open goal, scoring two almost identical goals in the final two minutes. Lasso scored again in the 39th minute as he dispossessed the last defender and carried the ball into the open net. Alquis Alvarado followed suit, dispossessing the last defender and scoring before the defense could recover with 34 seconds left.
Categories: Central America, CONCACAF, North America, Panama, U.S.A.
Tags: 2012 CONCACAF Futsal Championship, Keith Tozer, Miguel Lasso
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