Home › Soccer Lines › Soccer Articles › Copa America Centenario Panama
International Soccer Betting Odds: At BookMaker Sportsbook our team of writers breaks down every betting matchup on the wagering board. Cash in on some serious Copa America lines by identifying the latest trends, statistics and injuries in each betting preview at BookMaker. Today, we'll take a look at Panama and its odds of winning this top South American competition.
When Copa America Centenario expanded to 16 teams, there were clubs which needed to come from CONCACAF to fill out the field. Panama used its Gold Cup success to earn the right to go into a playoff to get into this tournament, and it reached Copa America by blasting Cuba by a 4-0 margin. Now, the Panamanians are going to hope to build on their success in CONCACAF by taking it to the top South American teams in this tournament.
You can find great prices on Panama and each of the 16 teams at Copa America by checking out our soccer odds at BookMaker.eu.
PANAMA PROFILE
Odds To Win Copa America: +15000
Team Nickname: Los Canaleros
Head Coach: Hernan Dario Gomez
FIFA World Ranking: 52
HOW THEY GOT HERE
The 4-0 win over Cuba was the win which put Panama in this field, but what's more interesting is the way that it has performed in World Cup qualifying and how it finished up at the Gold Cup.
No one really thought Panama had a real chance to get to the Hexagonal, the last stage of qualifying for the World Cup in CONCACAF, but alas, a win against either Costa Rica on the road or Jamaica at home in September will get the job done. Most underestimated this team in the Gold Cup as well, but Panama ultimately finished third, the sixth straight time the team has at least gotten out of the group stage of the competition.
KEY PLAYERS
Some would say this Panama side is experienced. Others would just call it old. We're not sure whether all of the cagey vets are going to be on the pitch at one time, but if that's the way this did pan out, there'd be darn near 1,000 Caps on the field for Los Caneleros.
The one vet we know will be in the Starting XI match in and match out is Jaime Penedo. He's one of the top goalies in Panama's history, and he's going to be building upon his 115 Caps for his country in this tournament.
Felipe Baloy figures to wear the captain's armband once again for Panama, and he'll be joined at the back by several 30-somethings. The man to really watch in defense though, is 24-year old Harold Cummings, a man who shined brightly in the Gold Cup last year as a pillar at the back.
Blas Perez won't be asked to go 90 minutes at any point in this tournament we'd like to think, but he could be a super sub off the bench as Vancouver uses him in the MLS. Perez has 38 goals in 103 appearances for his country, and he and Luis Tejada would love one more really good run in an international tournament like Copa America.
COPA AMERICA ODDS ANALYSIS AND QUICK PICK
This is a really interesting team to study. By right, Panama really shouldn't be sharing a field with Argentina and Chile. But then again, by right, Panama shouldn't have been able to challenge the United States in the Gold Cup either, nor should it have been a finalist in the previous Gold Cup, and nor should it still be floating around with a serious chance to get to the World Cup for the first time.
Even though most are going to assume the qualifiers from Group D will be Argentina and Chile, don't discount Los Caneleros from perhaps spoiling the party. If there's a team which can come from 150 to 1 to ultimately challenge for the Copa America crown this year, Panama is it, especially if it gets some confidence from that first match against Bolivia to kick off the tournament.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! Copa America runs from June 3 through June 26, 2016. Television coverage will be provided by the FOX family of networks.
Log into BookMaker Sportsbook and get betting odds for 2016 Copa America and information about this and all other sporting events!
