2017 Gold Cup hosts United States take on Panama in their opening fixture, but with both sides missing a number of key men, we are unlikely to witness an entertaining encounter.

USMNT have indeed shown improvement since Bruce Arena returned to the helm and they did well to get their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign back on track.

But with Panama still just a point behind in the race for the final automatic qualifying berth, it is clear that the qualifiers have the priority at the moment.

That is probably the main reason why Bruce Arena decided to take a second-string side to the 2017 Gold Cup, allowing a dozen important players to get some much needed rest ahead of the new season.

This means that USMNT fans will not get the opportunity to watch Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Tim Howard and Christian Pulisic in action, but rather players who have yet to make a name for themselves.

KAA Gent midfielder Kennu Saief was expected to shine at the tournament finals after switching his allegiance from Israel, but he has been ruled out through a groin problem.

Philadelphia Union midfielder Chris Pontius has been called as a replacement, getting the opportunity to add to his two caps.

Probable starting line-up (4-4-1-1): Guzan – Lichaj, Besler, Gonzalez, Villafana – Zusi, Bedoja, Acosta, Zardes – Corona – Morris.

Panama national team did well to raise its profile in the last decade or so, climbing from 100th to 56th in the FIFA standings.

Los Canaleros have yet to secure their first appearance at the World Cup finals, but their Gold Cup record is pretty decent.

Panama only began playing at the tournament in 1993 and they have since twice finished as runners up (2005, 2013), and reached the semis in their last three appearances.

Los Canaleros proved extremely difficult to beat at the 2015 edition, and they somehow managed to secure a third-place finish despite failing to win a single game in regular time (D5 L1).

Speaking of the 2017 Gold Cup, Hernan Dario Gomez also opted to leave a number of star player out of the squad, including top scorers Luis Tejada (102/42) and Blas Perez (111/40).

Meanwhile, captain Felipe Baloy misses out through injury, whereas key defender Roman Torres has also been overlooked.

Probable starting line-up (4-4-2): Calderon – Murillo, Miller, Chen, Ovalle – Pimentel, Cooper, Gomez, Diaz – Torres, Arroyo.