Three Panama players to watch in Bengaluru friendly against India
Panama will face India at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on September 25, 2026, at 7:30 PM IST during the September–October 2026 international window. Three Panama players pencilled as ones to watch for that fixture are Amir Murillo, Carlos Harvey and Josue Vergara.
The CONCACAF side, ranked 44th in the FIFA world rankings and a participant in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, will travel to Asia to play matches in India and Japan. They meet India, ranked 138th, a gap of almost 95 places in the FIFA rankings. Panama’s longest-serving head coach, Thomas Christiansen, named a 27-member squad that includes 14 players who featured at the World Cup and six players receiving their first senior call-ups. Three long-serving players — Eric Davis, Alberto Quintero and Anibal Godoy — have retired from international football after making more than 100 appearances each.
Amir Murillo is the most experienced defender in Panama’s current squad and operates primarily as a right-back for Besiktas in the Turkish Super Lig. He is versatile across the backline with right-back and right wing-back as his primary positions, contributing overlapping runs and a high work rate. Murillo is also strong in defensive 1v1 situations with notable physical and aerial ability; in his 97 appearances for the national team, he has registered more than 20 goal contributions. He has represented RSC Anderlecht and Marseille and played the full 90 minutes in all three of Panama’s matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Carlos Harvey operates as a defensive midfielder who can also slot in as a centre-back or midfielder and plays for Minnesota United in the MLS. He is described as an imposing presence in the middle of the park with an ability to execute clean tackles and win duels to regain possession, providing valuable tactical flexibility. Harvey makes late runs into the box, poses a threat from set-pieces and can strike from long range. He recently scored a brilliant goal from 30 yards out in a friendly against Brazil ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Josue Vergara, a 19-year-old striker receiving his maiden senior call-up from Thomas Christiansen, has impressed with the Panama U-20 side and enjoyed a scoring run for KAA Gent in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League. This season he has scored four goals, including one against Hibernian FC in the 2026-27 UEFA Conference League qualifiers. Vergara profiles as a traditional number nine who excels aerially inside the box, using his 6’5″ frame for hold-up play and to finish chances inside the area. The match against India has been presented as an opportunity to test him against an Indian defence that has looked shaky throughout the year.
Following the India fixture, Panama will travel to Japan to participate in the 2026 Kirin Cup Soccer, where they will compete against Japan, Ecuador and New Zealand.
