PANAMA CITY — The charter carrying the U.S. men’s national soccer team from Austin landed at Tocumen International Airport here Friday without goalkeeper Zack Steffen and defender Antonee Robinson, notable figures in the seven-month campaign for a 2022 World Cup berth.
Both are healthy and in good standing. Both were in uniform a night earlier in the Texas capital for a 2-0 victory over Jamaica, with Robinson starting at left back and Steffen serving backup duty.
In normal times, whether or not they were in the plans for Sunday’s qualifier against Panama, they would have joined their teammates on the four-hour journey to this glittering city on the Pacific.