The US drew 1-1 with Panama on Monday in Gold Cup action and won Group A with seven points. Yet again, it wasn't pretty as concerns continue to arise with this squad. The defense was poor, the attack wasn't consistent, and now some are left wondering if there is enough quality to win it all. Here are three takeaways ahead of the quarterfinals. 

1. Backline still really, really bad: OK, the backline has been worse, but this wasn't still pretty. John Brooks and Ventura Alvarado were left looking ridiculous on Panama's goal, failing to recognize where the attacking players were going and not having enough speed to keep up. This poor defending has been a constant issue we've seen all tournament long. At this point, I don't think you can really call the US the favorite to win, which is awful considering nobody has really looked great in this cup. The talent is there, but the execution at the back isn't. And now down John Brooks in the quarterfinals because of suspension, can Omar Gonzalez take charge? 


2. Klinsmann shows that he knows what he is doing: There is nothing more frustrating for a knowledgeable soccer fan than when the manager of the team you support waits too long to make a needed substitution. What is the point of giving a player 10 minutes? Either use them early and give them time or save them to eat up time around the 90th minute. Jurgen Klinsmann showed his smarts by bringing on Clint Dempsey and DeAndre Yedlin at the half. This comes after taking Jozy Altidore off at half of the Haiti game. He isn't messing around, and players know they better impress in the first 45 minutes or they are off. Surely he would like to have more than three subs with how poorly the team has played. But these moves paid off, as Dempsey was able to get the ball out wide before Michael Bradley scored. Yedlin was also dangerous down the right.

3. Still alive and time to prepare: The US is in the quarterfinals which will be played this weekend, and the opponent will be determined after the rest of the groups play their last games. Now this team hasn't been bad enough to where there was a risk of not advancing, but Mexico can beat the US, Trinidad and Tobago has a shot, and even Haiti is playing with a lot of confidence and would love a rematch. Klinsmann needs to get the right formation for the knockout stages and build confidence. Dempsey up top with Zardes has resulted in good ball movement, but maybe them up top with Aron Johannsson would do it? We will see what Klinsmann does. He hasn't been afraid to make drastic changes so far, but he is still searching for the right combination. 

USA
The US and Panama drew 1-1 on Monday night. (USATSI)