After Panama’s match, head coach Felipe Baloy spoke at a press conference and gave a forceful analysis of his team’s performance at the IV South American Youth Games Panama 2026.
Baloy did not hide his dissatisfaction with the result and pointed directly to the details of the game: “We are not happy. Football is about details, and those details change matches. When we were regrouping, the penalty gave us an opportunity, but we missed it. When we were at our best, the second goal came.” The coach emphasized that these are situations that must be analyzed in order to avoid repeating mistakes.
In addition, he was firm about the level of demand involved in representing the national team: “This is a tournament where you come to compete and you can’t give anything away. We are preparing for a World Cup and only the best will go there. If they don’t have the personality to be in the national team, they won’t be here.” He also made his message to the group very clear: “This is not a joke, it’s not playtime. You come here to compete.”
Baloy’s statements reflect the self-criticism and high standards within the Panamanian team, which will look to correct mistakes and raise its level for the remainder of the tournament.
