United States shines as they pounce on Panama

Seattle may have waited 37 years for the United States to bring a first team to its fields, but they didn't have to wait long to see the current version put up goals. By the seventh minute the USA already had two attempts on goal. The 36th minute would see Jozy Altidore put the first goal in the net, but that is little indicator of the dominance of the Americans. They controlled the action despite pitch conditions that caused both sides issues early in the match. By the time both adjusted and the slipping ended Eddie Johnson put the Yanks up two-nil and Panama was in a deep hole.

The isthmus nation could not pull out of the hole. Their rare chances came from distance. Americans would charge down after turnovers. Sometimes undermanned the US would still find ways to create chances. They rode the passion of a vibrant fanbase to one of their strongest performances in ages.

A crowd which was belittled prior to the match as lagging and not Seattle enough turned out to the tune of nearly 41,000 and showed well. It was not just a Seattle crowd. It was American. Fans from Portland stood out during the anthem. The chants were inclusive and echoed from the rafters of the CenturyLink Field roof. The only measuring stick that applied was the one that Seattle created in March of 2009. It was exceeded and the praise from players is raining down.

Could things be better? Absolutely.

Jozy, Michael, Eddie, B-Rad, Fabian, Duece, Joey Beers and the boys did their part. Seattle did its part. This is not the end of the USA in Seattle, but a fantastic beginning.