by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Jul 24, 2015

1. Preparations for the Confederations Cup playoff begin now.

















USA-Panama, Gold Cup:

1993

:

2005

2007:

2009:

2011:

2011:

2013:

2015:

2. Klinsmann: USA must swallow pill and move on quickly.

Jurgen Klinsmann

Just fourth time the USA has not played in final.





Brad Guzan

U.S. Roster:

GOALKEEPERS (3):

DEFENDERS (8):

MIDFIELDERS (8):

FORWARDS (4):

Panama Roster:

GOALKEEPERS (3):

DEFENDERS (6):

MIDFIELDERS (8):

FORWARDS (6):

The USA ends its Gold Cup run this weekend in Philadelphia but not when or where it hoped. Instead of playing in Sunday's final at sold-out Lincoln Financial Field (66,000-plus seats), it will play Saturday in the third-place game at PPL Park, home of the Philadelphia Union in suburban Chester, against Panama in a match relegated to Fox Sports 2.Here are three storylines heading into the ninth Gold Cup meeting between the USA and Panama and their third meeting of 2015.Saturday's third-place game is just one of three matches the USA has before it plays the one-game playoff to determine the Concacaf representative for the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia. As 2013 Gold Cup champion, the USA will face the winner of Sunday's Mexico-Jamaica final.Concacaf has issued a date for the game: Oct. 9. The venue has not been determined but it is expected to be the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, if the match is USA-Mexico. If it's USA-Jamaica, Concacaf will likely seek a smaller venue.All MLS venues will be available as only one game is scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 9-11(Colorado-Montreal in Oct. 10).Between Saturday's third-place game and the October playoff, the USA has only two games scheduled, both during the September fixture window: Peru on Sept. 4 in Washington, D.C., and Brazil on Sept. 8 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. (FIFA eliminated the single August friendly date in 2014.)After the playoff game, qualifying for the 2018 World Cup begins in November, seven months earlier than it has started in previous years. The early start is in part because the Copa Centenario -- now in limbo because of the bribery scandals involving Concacaf and Conmebol -- was scheduled for June 2016 and also because two fixture dates in 2017 were eliminated, requiring the final round of Concacaf qualifying begin in 2016.USA 2-1 (group stage): Tie 0-0 (USA wins on penalties in final)USA 2-1 (quarterfinals)USA 2-1 (quarterfinals)Panama 2-1 (group stage)USA 2-1 (semifinals)USA 1-0 (final)Tie 1-1 (group stage)had built his Gold Cup squad with one goal in mind: winning the tournament and avoiding a playoff in October. He did not indicate after Wednesday's game how he'd approach Saturday's match in terms of player selection, but he said the USA needed to finish off the tournament with the right attitude and right approach."You owe that to fans and the tournament," he said. "Swallowing that pill, it’s not nice to swallow, but it is what it is. You can’t change that anymore. Then we keep building, we keep progressing, we keep working hard in order to go towards World Cup qualifying by the end of the year and it starts all over again.”3.This is the first time in 12 years -- a span of five tournaments -- that the USA has not reached the final and just the fourth time in 13 editions.In its last appearance in the third-place game, the USA beat Costa Rica, 3-2, in 2003. Before that, the only other appearance by the USA in the third-place game came in 1996 when it beat Guatemala, 3-0. The only other time the USA did not reach the final was in 2000 when it lost to Colombia in a shootout in the quarterfinals.“We want to finish on a high," said goalkeeperafter Wednesday's loss. "We want to make sure that we go in and put together a good performance and finish this Gold Cup on a win.”Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), William Yarbrough (Leon, Mexico).Ventura Alvarado (Club America, Mexico), DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin, Germany), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt, Mexico), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany), Tim Ream (Bolton Wanderers, England).Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes, France), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Jor Corona (Veracruz, Mexico), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham, England), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy), Graham Zusi (Sporting KC).Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Alan Gordon (LA Galaxy), Aron Johannsson (AZ, Netherlands), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes).Jose Calderon (Coatepeque/Guatemala); Luis Mejia (Fenix/Uruguay); Jaime Penedo (LA Galaxy)Harold Cummings (Independiente Santa Fe/Colombia); Erick Davis (Sporting San Miguelito); Luis Henriquez (Lech Poznan/Poland); Adolfo Machado (Saprissa/Costa Rica); Angel Patrick (Arabe Unido); Roman Torres (Millonarios/Colombia)Miguel Camargo (Chorrillo FC); Armando Cooper (FC St. Pauli/Germany); Anibal Godoy (Honved/Hungary); Gabriel Gomez (Herediano/Costa Rica); Valentin Pimentel (Plaza Amador); Darwin Pinzon (Sporting San Miguelito); Alberto Quintero (Lobos BUAP/MEX); Alfredo Stephens (Chorrillo FC);Abdiel Arroyo (Arabe Unido); Rolando Blackburn (Comunicaciones/Guatemala); Roberto Nurse (Dorados/Mexico); Blas Perez (FC Dallas); Luis Tejada (Juan Aurich/Peru); Gabriel Torres (Colorado Rapids)