Fansided

Why you should watch every team at the 2018 World Cup

By Harrison Hamm

Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring against Ecuador during their 2018 World Cup qualifier football match in Quito, on October 10, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Juan Ruiz (Photo credit should read JUAN RUIZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring against Ecuador during their 2018 World Cup qualifier football match in Quito, on October 10, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Juan Ruiz (Photo credit should read JUAN RUIZ/AFP/Getty Images) /
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LUZERN, SWITZERLAND – MARCH 27: Luis Ovalle of Panama during the International Friendly match between Switzerland v Panama at the Luzern Arena on March 27, 2018 in Luzern Switzerland (Photo by Erwin Spek/Soccrates/Getty Images)
LUZERN, SWITZERLAND – MARCH 27: Luis Ovalle of Panama during the International Friendly match between Switzerland v Panama at the Luzern Arena on March 27, 2018 in Luzern Switzerland (Photo by Erwin Spek/Soccrates/Getty Images) /

Panama

Panama, in their first ever World Cup, were thrilled to have inched by the United States in qualifying on a final-day phantom goal and late winner by rogue center-back Roman Torres. They will send an MLS-heavy roster (their preliminary squad featured seven U.S.-based players) that also features a large slate of players based in Central America.

Torres, of the Seattle Sounders, will hope to recover from the knee injury that has mostly kept him out of the MLS season to help anchor the backline. New York Red Bulls pair Fidel Escobar and Michael Amir Murillo join Harold Cummings (San Jose) and Adolfo Machado (Houston) as the other MLS players who will likely feature in defense.

Captain Felipe Baloy, a 37-year-old who plays for Municipal in Guatemala, is among a couple wily veterans brought by manager Hernan Dario Gomez. Gabriel Gomez, who at 33 has a record 142 caps, plays for Atletico Bucaramanga in Colombia, and 37-year-old Blas Perez, the longtime MLS forward and longtime purveyor of Concacaf-iness, bring the regional flavor.

Getting out of a group with Belgium and England would be an unforgettable accomplishment. With this underdog team, you never know what could happen.

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