Gold Cup 3rd-Place Game: Panama defeats U.S. on penalties, Klinsmann's job safe

Once in a while, a third-place game captures our imagination, featuring end-to-end excitement as a result of the free-flowing football that is triggered when the stakes are low.

This was not one of those matches.

In a fixture that had supporters begging to be put out of their misery, Panama finished third at the Gold Cup by defeating the United States men's national team 3-2 on penalties after 120 minutes of unimaginative football had the two sides level at 1-1.

It was blatantly obvious that neither team was all that interested in playing the game. After all, the U.S. missed out on its sixth straight appearance in the final by falling to Jamaica, while Panama was denied a place in the final in the most controversial of fashion, as referee Mark Geiger did everything in his power to ensure Mexico got its way.

Even the atmosphere at PPL Park lacked the energy that supporters of the U.S. tend to inject onto the pitch.

Simply put, it was a train wreck that lasted 30 minutes too long, and both Panama and the U.S. will surely be happy that their participation in the competition is over.

The Goals

55th minute - Roberto Nurse, Panama: For the sixth time in six games, Panama opened the scoring against its opponent, as Roberto Nurse, filling the void left by the suspended Luis Tejada, received a wonderful pass from Rolando Blackburn, shook off John Brooks, and took all the time in the world before slotting a shot past Brad Guzan.

70th minute - Clint Dempsey, U.S.: For the sixth time in six games, Panama conceded an equaliser after opening the scoring to produce a 1-1 scoreline at full-time. Substitutes DeAndre Yedlin and Clint Dempsey linked up for an excellent goal, the former pulling 'keeper Luis Mejia out of position with some solid hold-up play before putting the ball on a plate for the latter.

Man of the Match - Luis Mejia

Give it up for Luis Mejia, who only took the pitch because 'keeper Jaime Penedo was suspended for pushing referee Mark Geiger after Panama was essentially robbed of a place in the Gold Cup final.

Mejia wasn't tested all that often by the U.S., but he came up big when it mattered most, making two phenomenal saves in the penalty shootout, including a diving stop on Michael Bradley and the game-winning save on DaMarcus Beasley.

The 1,000 Words

"CONCACAF LADRONES"

Stray Thoughts

• The Gold Cup proved to be a disaster for the U.S., but as pointed out by Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl, at least Jurgen Klinsmann's side avoided any red cards and injuries.
• With 2018 World Cup qualifying just around the corner, it will interesting to see whether the U.S.'s shaky Gold Cup performance results in significant changes to its squad. The backline - Timothy Chandler, John Brooks, and Ventura Alvarado, in particular, was sketchy at best in each and every match, and one can only wonder if Geoff Cameron will be called up again.

• Klinsmann's job is safe, meanwhile:

• "We don't make judgements based on one game," Gulati, president of U.S. Soccer, added. "There's no parallels."
• Gulati said about the Confederations Cup playoff in October: "Let's get past (Saturday). I'm not going to speculate on stuff that's three or four months away and we're not sure who we're playing or where we're playing."
• It would be an unfortunate ending to an illustrious international career if DaMarcus Beasley's missed penalty marked his last moment in a U.S. shirt. Having retired from international football in December, Beasley returned for one last huzzah at Klinsmann's request.
• For Panama, the Gold Cup was as bizarre as it was unfortunate. All six of its matches manufactured a 1-1 result through 90 minutes, and in each instance, Hernan Dario Gomez's side scored before surrendering its lead.
• The U.S. will take on the winner of tomorrow's Gold Cup final between Jamaica and Mexico in a playoff to determine who represents CONCACAF at the 2017 Confederations Cup.