Mexico vs. Panama: What to watch for

After an ecstatic victory over the United States in the CONCACAF Cup on Saturday, Mexico will take on Panama (Oct. 13, 10pm EST, Unimas and Univision Deportes Network) at the Estadio Nemesio Diez on Tuesday.

It doesn't get better than what was witnessed at the Rose Bowl, which is why a friendly against Panama seems like an anti-climax to what was a memorable weekend for El Tri. Still, fans and players owe it to Ricardo Ferretti and his staff as the Brazilian manager says his goodbye in his final game in charge of the national team. Here is what to watch for.

Do it for Tuca

"Keep passing. They are dead out there," said Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti in his pre-extra time speech against the USMNT. If he wasn't already, Ferretti cemented his place into Mexican soccer history after coaching the Mexico national team to a 3-2 victory over their arch-rivals in a winner-take-all playoff for a place in the 2017 Confederations Cup.

Ferretti leaves the impression that he would be the ideal manager for El Tri, but following the game against Panama, he will hand over the reins to Colombian manager Juan Carlos Osorio.

Ferretti, who took over the fort after Miguel Herrera was fired, has been undefeated with Mexico, including a 2-2 draw with Argentina back in September.

Tuca deserves a proper sending off, and Mexico fans will hope he brings the curtain down on his short international managing career with a win.

Osorio will get a real sneak peek of a CONCACAF team

With World Cup qualifiers against El Salvador and Honduras coming up, it is a race against time for Juan Carlos Osorio and his coaching staff. Osorio was present at Mexico's 3-2 victory against the United States, but Panama offers a real sneak peek of what Osorio can expect from CONCACAF teams starting November 13.

The defensive solidity Panama have demonstrated has made for a difficult environment to play in when Mexico go up against Los Canaleros. Playing more defensive sides has always been a delicate issue for El Tri.

Teams like Panama and Honduras now enjoy being the underdogs, first looking to frustrate the Mexicans and then breaking away to score goals.

Much of how Osorio does with Mexico will depend on how he copes against these teams. Mexico is always expected to take the initiative against most of CONCACAF sides. Will Osorio be able handle it?