Preview: Matt Besler, Graham Zusi and upstart U.S. MNT travel to face Panama on Tuesday

The U.S. Men’s National Team enters Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier at Panama with renewed confidence, having blitzed Honduras 6-0 on Friday to collect its first win in the Hexagonal. Head coach Bruce Arena’s side will now look to build on that momentum and #Get3More at Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City, with kickoff set for 9 p.m. CT on beIN Sports, Telemundo and NBC Universo.

Clint Dempsey, who missed the second half of 2016 with an irregular heartbeat, marked his return to the MNT with a hat-trick on Friday that included a stunning free kick shortly after halftime. Sebastian Lletget, Christian Pulisic and Michael Bradley added goals of their own, while Sporting Kansas City defender Graham Zusi contributed to Tim Howard’s clean sheet by playing 31 minutes as a second-half substitute. By the time the whistle had sounded, the U.S. had set a record for its largest margin of victory in the Hexagonal since CONCACAF adopted the current qualifying format ahead of the 1998 World Cup.

Zusi joins club teammate Matt Besler as Sporting KC representatives within the 23-man U.S. squad, which has a slightly different look ahead of Tuesday’s match than it did a few days ago. Lletget, John Brooks, Michael Orozco and Jordan Morris left the MNT camp on Saturday, prompting Arena to add Club Tijuana midfielder Paul Arriola.

After scoring the opening goal against Honduras, Lletget suffered a left foot injury in the 18th minute and was forced to exit the match. Brooks had a sinus infection throughout the week and lasted only 70 minutes, while Morris (right ankle) and Orozco (right knee) carried injuries into Friday’s contest and did not dress for the match.

The departures of Brooks and Orozco could open the door for Zusi and Besler, both of whom were available off the bench Friday in San Jose. Should Arena opt to slide Geoff Cameron into central defense, Zusi is a clear candidate to fill in at right back. If Cameron is deployed as a right back — like he was at Avaya Stadium — Besler may be in contention for his 40th career cap.

Elsewhere, Dempsey, Altidore and Pulisic are poised to continue a formidable attacking triumvirate — one that wreaked havoc on Los Catrachos’ defense in the 6-0 victory. The lopsided result helped the U.S. offset a 4-0 setback at Costa Rica last November and vault into fourth place in the Hexagonal standings, owning tiebreakers over Trinidad and Tobago and Honduras by virtue of better goal differential.

Hexagonal Standings

Tuesday’s opponent is one of the three teams above the U.S. in the Hexagonal standings. Panama is off to a 1-1-1 start, but stuttered to a 1-0 loss at Trinidad and Tobago on Friday. Los Canaleros enjoyed a solid start to the Hex last fall, winning 1-0 at Honduras before holding Mexico to a scoreless draw at home.

Few if any CONCACAF nations have experienced more improvement over the last decade than Panama. The country has advanced to the Hex in three of the last four World Cup qualifying campaigns and marched to the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final before falling to the U.S. MNT. In 2004, Panama was ranked as low as No. 100 in the FIFA World Rankings, but currently sits at a respectable No. 53.

Panama head coach Hernan Dario Gomez took over in 2014 and guided the team to a third-place finish at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, including a penalty shootout win against the Yanks in the Third Place Match.

History favors the visitors heading into Tuesday, as the U.S. is 11-1-4 all-time against Panama — including a 5-0-1 mark in World Cup qualifiers and a 2-0-1 mark in qualifiers played in Panama City. This particular fixture is best remembered for the wild Hexagonal finale played in October 2013. That evening, the U.S. traveled to face a Panama side that could earn CONCACAF’s berth to an intercontinental playoff against New Zealand with a win. Panama led 2-1 in the dying embers of the match, but the U.S. roared back with stoppage-time goals from Zusi and Aron Johannsson to destroy Panama’s hopes and allow Mexico to move into fourth place.

Panama’s roster features six players who currently compete in Major League Soccer. Seattle Sounders FC captain Roman Torres anchors a backline alongside fellow defenders Adolfo Machado of the Houston Dynamo and Michael Amir Murillo of the New York Red Bulls. In the midfield, Armando Cooper (Toronto FC), Anibal Godoy (San Jose Earthquakes) and Miguel Camargo (New York City FC) will contend for starting spots.

Updated U.S. MNT Roster by Position (Club; WCQ Caps/Goals):

GOALKEEPERS (3): David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes; 0/0), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids; 34/0), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake; 0/0)

DEFENDERS (8): DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo; 33/6), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City; 10/1), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City/ENG; 20/2), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca/MEX; 13/0), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 3/0), Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna/MEX; 1/0), Walker Zimmerman (FC Dallas; 0/0), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City; 16/3)

MIDFIELDERS (9): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; 1/0), Paul Arriola (Club Tijuana/MEX; 1/1), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union; 7/0), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/CAN; 32/6), Jermaine Jones (LA Galaxy; 16/0), Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls; 18/2), Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers; 4/0), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 6/3)

FORWARDS (3): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC/CAN; 35/16), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC; 37/17), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes; 0/0)

Hexagonal Schedule