Less than a week before the official closing of the squads for the 2026 World Cup, the coach of the Panama National Team, Thomas Christiansen, admitted to TVMAX SPORTS that the coaching staff maintains special monitoring of the physical evolution of two of its references: goalkeeper Luis Mejía and midfielder Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla.
During a press conference, the Spanish-Danish strategist revealed that both players continue working under a specific recovery plan and that the final decision on their availability will be made practically on the hour.
“We have a monitoring plan for each player, especially with Luis and Coco. The others are a bit of a precaution for any discomfort they may have, but they will be fit. The only thing is to see the evolution of these two and then make a decision”he stated.
Christiansen does not rule out a last minute change
The coach’s statements leave open the possibility that Panama makes a change to the list if one of the two players fails to recover in time.
When asked if he has already defined who he would replace in the event of a loss, Christiansen was clear: he does not want to rush yet.
“We have to wait until the end. We have until day but one to make the decision, that means the 16th”explained the coach, making it clear that the coaching staff will exhaust all options before giving up on having two of its key men.
Gunn and Griffith, ready in case there is an emergency
The DT also confirmed that the presence of two additional players in the concentration responds precisely to that scenario. These are John Gunn, who covers the position of Luis Mejía, and Víctor Griffith, a natural alternative in case Adalberto Carrasquilla cannot be available.
“For that we have two more players: in Luis’ position there is Gunn and for Coco’s situation there is Griffith. We must also thank the Federation for the effort of allowing me to bring two more players”he highlighted.
The statement reinforces the idea that Panama maintains a contingency plan prepared while awaiting the medical evolution of both players.
Expectation grows a few days after the debut
Although Christiansen conveyed peace of mind by pointing out that the rest of the players doing gym or recovery work will be able to compete, the focus of attention remains on Luis Mejía and “Coco” Carrasquilla.
Both are considered fundamental pieces in the Panamanian team’s scheme and any absence would force the coaching staff to modify the planning with which the team will face the biggest event in football.
For now, the team will continue to monitor the recovery of its two figures day by day.
