Panama U23 fell short to Argentina U20 on the second matchday of the Tournoi Maurice Revello (formerly Toulon Tournament). The Panamanians started the game off very aggressively with a lot of physical duels, which was exactly what Argentina did not want. It was clear that there was an age difference of 2-3 years between the Panamanians and Argentines. Panama set up in a 4-2-3-1 and fought out a lot of duels on Argentina’s half. One moment of concentration loss in the second half led to the only goal of the game, as Alejandro Garnacho ran into space and scored from inside the box. After that goal, Panama gave it their all to score the equalizer, but they failed to create any big chances.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, re-watch
- D – Below average in this match
Edgardo Fariña
- Nationality: Panama
- Age: 20
- Date of birth: 21/09/2001
- Club: CA Independiente (Panama)
- Career: Plaza Amador (Y), Atletico Nacional (Panama), CA Independiente (Panama)
- Position: Centre Back
- Preferred foot: Right
Edgardo Fariña played as Panama’s right central defender in this game. The first thing you notice when watching him play is that he is a giant. Standing at 1,94 meters, he was much taller than the players from Argentina. For someone of his height, Fariña looked pretty slim. The Panamanian is a very proactive defender, looking confident stepping out of the defensive line and often recovering possession high up the pitch. He seemed more than capable of playing a high defensive line, as his acceleration and pace were very good. Fariña was just as quick as most of the Argentina attackers.
The defender positioned himself quite well when dealing with crosses from the left wing, but his positioning was sometimes slightly off when defending crosses from the right wing. Because he had to adjust his position slightly, he failed to win an aerial duel against Argentinian striker Castro, despite being like 15 centimetres taller. He was not very strong in ground or aerial duels, but was confident and dominant enough to win duels. However, it would be good for him to bulk up and gain muscle in his entire body. It is important that he finds the right balance between keeping his good athleticism and gaining more power in duels.
For someone of his frame, I thought Fariña was quite athletic and his mobility was good. When playing out of pressure, the Panamanian defender liked to play one-two’s with the right-back Perdomo and he looked really agile and smooth, changing direction quickly and getting past his opponent. He had really good composure on the ball and never panicked dealing with Argentina’s pressure. Fariña liked to step into midfield with the ball on his feet. His acceleration on the ball was decent, but sometimes his opponent was a little bit smaller, putting his body in front of him and staying in between the ball and Fariña. However, thanks to Fariña’s perseverance he stayed in possession in this situation.
Generally, the Panamanian has a decent technique. His ball coordination and control when dribbling were good, but he had one situation in which he struggled to deal properly with an aerial ball. However, his first touch was pretty good in other situations. His passing technique over short distances was also good, he did not play many passes over longer distances.
Rating – A2
This rating is quite an educated guess, as I do not recall watching any Panamanian football. However, based on his physical and athletic profile in combination with his technical ability, I think he could have some potential. Many Panamanian footballers have moved to Ecuador recently, including his teammate Ricardo Phillips, so we might see Edgardo Fariña in Ecuador in the future.