Just got back after 16 days in the country. Couldn't find a professional game to attend but saw a recreational side playing in Panama City. Half the pitch was under ankle-deep water but that didn't stop them. (There was a notable absence of slide tackling!) I spent a lot of time talking to people about soccer and though people play it, the real national obsession is baseball. Panama City was loaded with (probably unlicensed) Yankees gear since there was a Panamanian pitcher on the team in the World Series. The series was always first in the local sports sections with a little soccer near the back. (Hmmm. Does that sound familiar?) There's a number of Panamanians in the US minor leagues and they're closely followed by their countrymen. I spent some time visiting sporting goods stores to try to find a local team jersey but there were none to be had. There were, however, cheap Olympus knock-off jerseys for all major European teams and (of all teams) the LA Galaxy. As for traveling in Panama, it is an undiscovered gem among destinations. Unlike most Central American countries, the capital city has a lot of good areas. It's easy to get around and you can walk the streets at night. We visited Boquette, which is a small town in the mountains and Bocas del Toro, a up and coming Caribbean resort town. Both were fun and very inexpensive. They're celebrating their 100th anniversary of the country this week and it promises to be a major party everywhere.
welcome back denver-mug No pro futbol? they are going trhu finals right now and the sub20 had a nice thing going a week ago. I am glad you enjoy it! Is it true that USA nationals need a special permit to work in panama, now days?
Good post. Thanks for the info too. Your post also reads you were a great ambassador for the USA. No surfing? Play any golf? Hear of any jobs?
Bocas del Toro had quite a few USA Nationals looking to buy land and start businesses. There's some great tax advantages for people willing to start tourist-oriented businesses. There seems to be a great deal of relief in the country at finally having gotten back the canal zone but this didn't seem to translate into any bad attitude toward US'ers. (They consider Jimmy Carter the best US president ever for giving back the canal.) Did snorkeling, biking, river rafting and jungle exploring. Saw some great golf courses with nobody on them.
Yeah, I´m currently in the process of buying a place on the island for a hotel. It´s a chore but It should be operational sometime next year. It´s too bad I read your posts late, or I would have given you my number to call. Your right Panama is a true gem. 5 years or so from now it will probably be overun by tourists. Which is a good thing! I just hope it doesn´t turn into another Costa Rica. Anyway, getting back to soccer. Here´s Panama´s Nat team Kit. I hope you enjoy the Pics. http://www.dealante.com/nodo.php?nodoid=7110
I lived in Panama for 7 years or so, it's an ok place, has its ups and downs, a pretty nice city with tall buildings, although there's a lot of poverty and problems (almost 40% of the population lives in poverty) there's a lot of ugly places right in the middle of the city, but it's alright. I must say they do LOVE baseball, they recently made their way into the final of the baseball world cup, and they have several players in the major leagues (including Mariano Rivera, probably one of the best pitchers ever). However they still love soccer with a passion that surpasses that of the US. By far. Well, that's kind of obvious isn't it, they're a latin american country, located right between 2 soccer-loving nations. Their league is quite poor, and there's only one proffesional-level stadium in the whole country, the rest of the games are played in stadiums that resemble high school fields, or even worse. Their TV channels include a large amount of soccer in their programming, and in general, the country may not be absolutely crazy about soccer, but they do love it, their main problem is the lack of money for their federation.
Wow! Four bonified People that know about PTY. Let´s keep this thread alive. I´ll try to do my part. Any link I can find about PTY football I´ll post.
Yeah Mariano Rivera is from Panama City, and he's probably the best relief pitcher/closer in the history of the game.
Re: Re: Report from Panama... Actually Mariano is not from Panama City. He´s from the outscourts, let´s say like Aurora from Chicago or Miami from North Miami or LA from Pasedena. I´ts unforgivable, but cities grow into each other... He´s from the west of Panama City, In another city altoogether, but kind of like the capital but on the pacific coast. Can anyone guess the "marisco city"?
Bacamonte. Panama's "Center" for shellfish export. It's west of Chorrera. About 45 min. drive from Panama City's center. Thanx for the congats efer.
Didn't realize this thread was still going... Sitting here looking at my pictures from Panama. I've got some great shots of a men's recreational game somewhere near Panama City and the keeper's areas are huge mud puddles. There's 6" of standing water along one sideline and I have picture of a guy kicking up water as he dribbles. I wondered how the refs knew when the ball was out of play since you'd need a snorkel to find the sideline. I noticed that all the players liked to stay on their feet! I guess those Panamanians really like their footie if they're wiling to play in conditions like that. Looking at pictures of Boquete and Bocas, now I'm really beginning to miss the place.
WORLD CUP under 21 REPORT. Panama´s debut in the under 21 WC has been disgracefull, however mathematically they have a chance. They have to beat Slovakia on thursday by 3 goals to advance and hope that the Emirates lose (fat chance). Panama´s best player so far has been Joel Solanilla. This kid has a chance of playing in a really good league if he keeps it up. South America for sure.
By the way. Here is Panama´s Fútbol website: http://www.marearoja.com/organizacion.asp Pretty informative