ARLINGTON, TEXAS -- Mexico aim to return to the Concacaf Nations League final for the first time since 2021 on Thursday when they take on Panama in the semifinals.
El Tri are heavily favored in this matchup, which comes after the course correction that took place over the second half of last year. Mexico rebounded from their failure to advance out of the 2022 World Cup group stage by winning last year's Gold Cup, but the Nations League presents a first opportunity for new head coach Jaime Lozano to prove himself against full-strength teams in the region.
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Panama, meanwhile, eye their first-ever Nations League final and hope to overcome recent narrow defeats to Mexico. Los Canaleros lost in the 2023 Nations League third-place match to El Tri and the Gold Cup final, both by 1-0 scorelines.
The winner takes on either the U.S. men's national team or Jamaica, who will compete in the first semifinal on Thursday, in Sunday's final, while the losers of both matches will face off in Sunday's third-place match.
Here's what you need to know before tuning in.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, March 21 | Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
- Location: AT&T Stadium -- Arlington, Texas
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Panama +350; Draw +240; Mexico -140
Storylines
El Tri will miss Raul Jimenez, who did not recover from a hamstring injury in time to join Mexico for the Nations League encounters. Lozano will not be without attacking talent against Panama, though -- Hirving Lozano and Santiago Gimenez are in camp and will be counted on to ensure the team continues their hot scoring run in recent months. They have scored 13 goals in their last seven games since the Gold Cup, facing a wide variety of opponents including Germany, Honduras and Uzbekistan.
During that same stretch, though, Mexico conceded 11 times, so ensuring the defense remains a solid unit should be a priority. Lozano will likely lean on veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa to hold onto the No. 1 spot he's had for more than a decade now, but if the team's defensive woes continue, the attack's ability to perform could become very important on Thursday.
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Prediction
Mexico have their imperfections but they are the favorites against Panama for a reason and should be expected to get the job done with Lozano around. That's not to count out Panama, though, who demolished Costa Rica en route to the semifinals and might have a say about things on Thursday. Pick: Panama 1, Mexico 2