The US National Team were able to book a place in their 4th straight CONCACAF Gold Cup final thanks to a 1-0 win over Panama in Houston. Bob Bradley made the questionable decision of placing Landon Donovan on the bench once again. Some are saying that this decision paid off as the US got the win, however I believe that Donovan should have been playing from the start and maybe we would have won by more. It is obvious that Bradley somewhat regretted the decision by swiftly inserting Donovan at the beginning of the 2nd half. I was impressed with the performance by the US defense. Panama had very few chances and the D did not look threatened or uncomfortable throughout. While the defense played well, the US really did not have a whole lot going and I felt that a moment of magic was needed to win the game. That moment came when, of all people, Freddy Adu was inserted into the game for Sacha Kljestan. Adu provided the beautiful pass that freed Donovan on the wing who then threaded the needle through traffic to Dempsey for the lone goal. Here are the highlights of the match:
