Written by George Smith
Jaime Penedo is a true veteran of professional soccer, and will certainly be a player to watch in the upcoming Copa America Centenario. At 34 years of age, he has been playing as Panama’s goalkeeper for the past thirteen years.[4]
Penedo was born and raised in Panama before making his professional debut with Estudiantes de Panamá F.C., a local professional team. After only a year and 36 appearances with Estudiantes, he was transferred to Plaza Amador where he played for two years and made 51 appearances before once again being transferred. This time, he was playing for Arabe Unido, another Panamanian team. This also proved to be a brief stint, with Penedo only staying for a year, in which he made 42 appearances. In his next transfer, Penedo would be sent to Europe to play for CA Osasuna, a Spanish team. This position also only lasted a year before Penedo headed back to Central America to play for CSD Municipal, a professional team based in Guatemala City. In a break from pattern, he spent the next 6 years playing there, making 100 appearances.[4] This was followed by a brief 2 year position with L.A. Galaxy[2] before he was transferred back to Central America in 2016, this time to join Deportivo Saprissa in Costa Rica.[1]
Through all of the transfers in his long career, Penedo has consistently played for the Panamanian men’s national team. Altogether, he has made 107 appearances with the team in the past 13 years. In that time, he has helped his team reach the finals of the Gold Cup twice in 2005 and 2013. In those same two tournaments, he also received the award for the best goalkeeper in the tournament.[3]
A goalkeeper’s ability to influence the course of a game should never be underappreciated. A good goalkeeper can bolster a subpar defense just as a bad goalkeeper can leave his defense disorganized and fractured. Penedo certainly has the skill of a great goalkeeper, but he also has more experience than almost any other player in the tournament. This experience will make him a major asset to the Panamanian team that should not be overlooked. Despite the fact that Penedo hasn’t scored a single goal in his professional career, he will be a real defensive threat in Copa America 2016.
References:
- “Jaime Penedo and L.A. Galaxy surprisingly decide to call it quits,” NBC Sports, last modified July 29, 2015. Accessed April 17, 2016. http://soccer.nbcsports.com/tag/jaime-penedo/
- “LA Galaxy sign goalkeeper Jaime Penedo,” LA Galaxy News, last modified August 5, 2013. Accessed April 17, 2016. http://www.lagalaxy.com/post/2013/08/05/la-galaxy-sign-goalkeeper-jaime-penedo
- “Jaime Penedo,” Herbalife Sports. Accessed April 29, 2016. http://sports.herbalife.com/en-US/Biographies/Jaime_Penedo.htm
- “Jaime Penedo,” Transfer Markets. Accessed April 29, 2016. http://www.transfermarkt.com/jaime-penedo/transfers/spieler/43851
How to cite this page:
Smith, George, “Panama: Jaime Penedo,” last modified April 30, 2016. Accessed Month Day, Year. http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/copa-america-centenario-2016-guide/more-players-to-watch-in-the-copa-america-centenario/panama-jaime-penedo/
