Panama ready for world stage

http://u19championship.com/panama-ready-for-world-stage/

Panama ready for world stage

Posted on June 27, 2012 by USA Football

By Michael Preston

Panama arrives in Austin on Thursday evening as one of three newcomers to the IFAF Under-19 World Championship stage.

In 2009, having beaten the Bahamas, 52-6, in Panama City, the Panamanians lost a qualifying game to Mexico, 26-0, in front of a 5,000-strong capacity crowd the Estadio Roberto Tapatio Mendez Mexico City and missed out on qualifying for the inaugural junior event, which was played in Canton, Ohio.

Three years later, Panama takes up the tournament’s fourth seed under head coach Raul Arosemena. A 41-player roster selected from tryouts attended by more than 80 hopeful players will face Austria on Saturday in the tournament’s opening game. Kickoff is 9 a.m. CT at Burger Stadium in Texas’ state capital.

The youngest player on the roster, Adolfo Altamirano, is 16 years old, while the majority of the squad enter age 17 to 18.

“We expect to face strong rivals with more experience in terms of games who are more physical and technical than our team,” Arosemena said.

“But our boys have enthusiasm, desire and the mental agility to be able to cope with the commitments of this tournament. The speed and elusiveness of our athletes will complicate things for our opponents.”

President of the Panamanian American Football Association Guillermo Suarez added: “We could not have made this visit to Austin without the support of the national government and the office of the first lady, Marta Linares de Martinelli, and several Panamanian companies and businesses.”

Panama is no stranger to international competition, having debuted in 2000 at the NFL Global Junior Championship played in Atlanta. The national team program returned to that stage in 2007, capping the event with a 14-6 win over France in South Florida.

Panama’s most celebrated player, who represented his country in 2000, is defensive lineman Frank Davis who after playing college football at the University of South Florida became the first Panamanian to ever play and then start a game in the NFL when he lined up for the Detroit Lions.

Read about Panama’s sendoff from home as they left for Texas under the guise of the nation’s sports media at PanaAmerica.com: http://www.panamaamerica.com.pa/notas/1192778-tropa-panamena-estara-el-mundial-sub-19- and Todosports.com http://www.todosports.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7464:panama-al-mundial-de-austin&catid=83:nacional&Itemid=131

See photos of the Panama press conference here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150899679713133.404164.155822233132&type=1