Just over two weeks ago, Amilcar Henriquez suited up for Panama in a 1-1 home draw with the United States in World Cup qualifying. On Saturday, Henriquez (in red at center above during a 2009 Gold Cup match against Nicaragua) was shot and killed in Panama’s Colon province. Here are more details from USA Today:
Authorities say the 33-year-old midfielder was leaving his home when a gunman shot him several times. Another two people were wounded. Henriquez was taken to a nearby public hospital, where he died.
President Juan Carlos Varela condemned the killing on his Twitter account and called for authorities in Colon to hunt down those responsible.
Henriquez played the last 10 minutes in that Panama-U.S. match, and he’d been an important player for the country since his first call-up back in 2005. He had 81 caps for them through January, competing in several Gold Cup tournaments and several rounds of World Cup qualifying.
This is certainly going to be a blow for Panama’s team. While Henriquez wasn’t as crucial of a part for them as he had been in earlier years, he was still a valuable contributor, and losing a teammate under any circumstances is brutal. Panama’s currently third out of six teams in the final round of CONCACAF qualification with five points through four matches, and they would automatically advance to the 2018 World Cup if qualification ended today, but they have a tough road ahead. They play second-place Costa Rica on the road in June, then host Honduras before facing top-placed Mexico on the road in September and hosting Trinidad and Tobago. They wrap up qualification in October with a road match against the U.S. and a home clash against Costa Rica. Many of those games wouldn’t be easy normally, and the task may only get harder following the loss of a teammate.
