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HARRISON, N.J. — The sporting identity of Panama has always been one of hard-working champions, baseball standouts like Rod Carew and Mariano Rivera and the boxing great Roberto Duran.
That persona remains, but the names — and especially the national sport — changed on Oct. 10, 2017.
On that night, Panama qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in history after coming agonizingly close four years earlier.
From that night forward, Panama became a futbol nation.
“Yes, for sure. Baseball used to be bigger, but now with us making it into World Cup, the feeling of Panama is all soccer,” New York Red Bulls fullback Michael Amir Murillo said.
Murillo and his teammate for club and country, central defender Fidel Escobar, are big reasons why Los Canaleros are currently in Russia, preparing for the country’s first-ever World Cup contest.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Escobar said. “For the people from Panama, this is something that we all looked forward to, we all dreamed of. Now that we’re able to do it, as a whole we want to keep moving forward.”
The party lasted deep into the night in Panama City after Roman Torres’ goal two minutes from full time lifted Panama over Costa Rica, 2-1, which combined with Trinidad & Tobago’s stunning 2-1 victory over the United States, booked Panama’s World Cup berth.
But it didn’t stop when the sun rose.
It continued for days, and months and no doubt will be raised a level when Panama meets Belgium in their World Cup opener Monday in Sochi.
“It was a huge feeling because until now people are still partying it up about us making the World Cup,” Murillo said. “Every time we go back, it’s still a party.”
Murilo and Escobar aren’t just on the 23-man roster. Both are key parts of Panama’s defense. Murillo started three matches of the Concacaf Hexagonal stage of qualification, while Escobar started six of the 10 matches, scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Honduras in San Pedro Sula on Nov. 11, 2016.
“They earned the chance to be on that team, they earned the right to go to the World Cup and they earned the right to be on the field once the World Cup comes,” Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch said. “I think both of them are going to get a lot of minutes when they go there.”
For the Red Bulls, Murillo has been a regular starter at right back since arriving on loan from San Francisco FC on Feb. 18, 2017.
“He has some real gifts with the way he plays and a natural ability to play football, be a good passer, to defend one-v-one when necessary,” Marsch said of Murillo.
Escobar joined Murillo on the Red Bulls a few months later, on a loan from Sporting San Miguelito. However, with Aaron Long and Tim Parker this year forming one of the top central defense pairings in MLS, the chances to step on the field for Escobar have been few and far between.
However it hasn’t stopped him from shining for his country.
“He’s been a very steady center back,” Marsch said. “Fidel’s been so steady and he’s a good passer and I think in so many ways he’s grown within that national team pool and it’s helped him continue to feel like he’s an established player here as well.”
Much like their Concacaf qualification, there are few outside of Panama giving them a chance in the World Cup, especially in a group that features heavyweights Belgium and England as well as Tunisia.
That’s just fine with Murillo.
“A lot of countries didn’t know about us, didn’t know about our style of game,” he said. “But I think not only the style of game, but the dream that every single player has to go into the World Cup is what made us go to the World Cup and that’s what pushes some teams bigger than others.”
In the biggest of games, Murillo finds a way to step up. Marsch is banking that will be the case against a stacked Belgium squad. At least that was his message to Murillo before the opening game.
“You can’t be tranquillo mode when you’re playing against Eden Hazard,” Marsch said. “You better be ready to go.”
No matter the results in Russia, Murillo, Escobar and their teammates are the new heroes in Panama. For the children playing on courts or in the Mundial Del Barrio, the country’s annual youth tournament, the standard has been set. They now have local players to idolize and try to emulate.
“For me, the kids are a big motivation going into anything we do,” Murillo said. “It’s to inspire them to move forward, to get somewhere where we all want to be and to always play the hardest that they can.”
Added Escobar: “It’s also good things for the kids who are growing right now, for them to see what we do and for them to hopefully become what we are.”