It's impossible to say whether Panamanian soccer has recovered from the mind-bending horror of plunging from World Cup qualifying in the dying seconds at home against the U.S. last October, but at least its powers-that-be have begun the arduous process of re-arming for the next assault on the tournament.
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Last weekend, Panama named Hernan Dario Gomez, or “El Bolillo,” its new head coach. The managerial maneuverings of the Concacaf middle powers always intrigue me -- not only vis-à-vis what happens in Canada, but also because it seems to be the same group of names popping up. Right off the hop we see Gomez has achieved something no previous Canadian managerial appointee has: qualifying a team for the World Cup. (In this case twice, with Colombia in 1998 and Ecuador in 2002.) He also carries some sinister baggage that makes his appointment to coach a national side anywhere somewhat disturbing. In the summer of 2011, while manager of the Colombian national team, he attacked a woman outside a Bogata nightclub – and there's not a lot to dispute, as he tearfully admitted to doing it on national television with the requisite explanation of having consumed too much wine and medication – an incident which cost him his job and at least temporarily, his marriage. Yet here he is, coach of Panama!
He joins countrymen Luis Suarez (Honduras) and Jorge Luis Pinto (Costa Rica), on the Concacaf battlefields, offering a mixed resume in terms of results. Besides the aforementioned World Cup success with Ecuador, he’s had middling performance with club sides like Santa Fe and Medellin in Colombia. The low point may have been his association with Guatemala through 2006 to 2008. That tenure ended shortly after he led the aspiring nation to a 5-0 loss at the hands of the Argentinean sub-23 side in Los Angeles. At least then-Canada-manager Stephen Hart got shithammered five-to-zero by the Argentina senior team.
For further context as to the type of managers a country the stature of Panama can or cannot talk to, you can muddle through this recently rumoured list of appointees. (A list that comes from the Honduran soccer portal Diez.hn, which has in the past suffered from, shall we say, questionable editorial integrity, even though they did get this one right.) The highlight for me is another Colombian, Juan Carlos Osorio, a man who I’ve written about before in relation to his farcical almost-appointment to manage Honduras.
Gomez’s biggest challenge with Panama lies in rejuvenating a squad whose best-ever chance for a World Cup slipped awfully through its grasp. Just look at the leaders of that lineup for the fateful game against the Americans: FC Dallas' Blaz Perez (32 years old), striker Luis Tejada (31 years old), Morelia's defender Felipe Baloy who also serves as team captain (32 years old) and goalkeeper Jaime Penedo of the LA Galaxy (again, 32 years old). These guys won't be around for the run at Russia. Or, if they are around, they won't be anything near as useful. As of yet there does not seem to be the same level of talent bubbling up through Panama's youth ranks. Yes, we're four years out, but clearly Gomez will have to get more from less than his predecessor to prevent his tenure at Panama becoming another short ride on the Concacaf coaching carousel.
This article was modified on Feb. 25 to show that Hernan Gomez also led Colombia to the 1998 World Cup.