HOUSTON They say they have put it behind them.
But it might be difficult to forget a loss to a Central American rival when that same foe is the only thing in the way from a Gold Cup final.
The United States will have a shot at redemption Wednesday night when it takes on Panama in the first semifinal of a doubleheader at Reliant Stadium. Mexico takes on Honduras in the second semifinal.
Coach Bob Bradley's squad is looking to avenge a 2-1 loss to La Marea Roja on June 11 in Tampa, Florida. Another shot against Panama means more this time around.
The winner clinches a slot in the Gold Cup final Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
And the team wants to prove it is still one of the best in the region and worthy of another Confederations Cup berth.
"We were disappointed on how we played Panama," said U.S. midfielder Landon Donovan during a news conference at the stadium Tuesday. "Having another opportunity to redeem ourselves is nice but that doesn't guarantee anything. They're going to come into the game confident. They've played us well over the years and now they've beaten us recently. They'll be confident."
Panama has reason to be confident. The team was able to take advantage of the United States' slow start.
"The most important thing is that we learned that we can't start a game like that, without energy, without will and conviction," Donovan said in Spanish. "When we play against a good team and we start like that, it is possible we can lose. We responded well in the second half and we had opportunities to tie the game but it was too much for us that night."
Panama took advantage of the United States' passive start and held on to a second half surge. Clarence Goodson scored in the 66th minute. The United Sates continued to attack but could not put the equalizer in the net.
First-half goals by Gabriel Gomez and Luis Tejada were enough to snap a winning streak of 26 games in the group stage of the Gold Cup.
It was also enough to put a dent in the United State's credibility in this tournament. Had the United States become a weaker opponent in the region?
"The loss against Panama was bad. We felt terrible after that game. We want to do things differently (Wednesday)."
Bradley expects a different team on the field this time around.
"We went into the game knowing that Panama was a strong team," Bradley said. "We saw a bunch of little things that I think we did well that we want to repeat in the next game and there were things that needed to be better. We just need to be sharper."
The United States and Panama know each other well. Both teams have met in a Gold Cup knockout round for the fourth consecutive tournament. The U.S. knocked out Panama in the last three editions. Perhaps the most memorable is the 2005 final. Both teams played to a scoreless draw before the Americans beat Los Canaleros 3-1 in penalty kicks.
Despite beating the United States earlier this month, Panama remains the underdog.
Panama striker Blas Perez will miss the game thanks to a red card suspension. His physical presence could be missed. He drew a foul from U.S. defender Tim Ream in the penalty area to set up Gabriel Gomez's penalty kick in the teams' first meeting.
A meeting that appears to still linger for both teams, even if they say they've moved on.
Ivan.orozco@sandiegored.com
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Where to watch
The United States vs. Panama game in the Gold Cup tournament will be televised live on Wednesday at 4 p.m., and the Mexico vs. Honduras game at 7 p.m. (both San Diego times), both on Univision. More information in English and Spanish at goldcup.org[/sidebar]
