By Dylan Butler

PHILADELPHIA - For English-born Panamanian coach Gary Stempel, Philadelphia is a city close to his heart.

That's because it is where his Panamanian father, Cookie Stempel, once played professional baseball in the 1950s.

"He's really excited I'm here," Stempel said. "He spent a couple of years here. He was a pitcher known for his fastball; I've got to learn all this stuff because it's not my game. He's got some fond memories."

Gary Stempel is trying to make his own history now, hoping to lead Panama to its first-ever victory against the United States in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals Saturday night at Lincoln Financial Field.

Competing against a CONCACAF powerhouse is no longer a dream for Panama, a country well known for cultivating baseball talent, including New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera.

Panama won the Central American (UNCAF) Nations Cup for the first time in February, beating Costa Rica on penalties in the final. That was followed by an emotional and contentious 1-1 draw against Mexico in the group stages of the Gold Cup.

"That motivated a lot of people, got people excited again," Stempel said. "Winning on Saturday would be a huge boost."

Stempel lived in England most of his life and was coaching at Millwall when his father told him about a possibility in Panama.

That was 12 years ago.

"I basically tested the water and liked what I saw," Stempel said. "Fortunately things have gone my way with Panamanian football. We've had some decent results and that has allowed me to continue to work."

However, it wasn't always easy. Stempel had to try and find a way to use what he's learned in England and apply it to a Latin squad.

"It was a combination of trying to bring in the best of the British attributes, the discipline and the tactical organization that I brought in, and I let the Latin flavor take over," he said.

It also took Stempel, who coached San Francisco FC to four league titles and a CONCACAF Champions League bid last year, time to adjust to a vastly different lifestyle than he was used to in England.

"There were certainly huge cultural differences, you can't deny that," Stempel said. "These are humble players who come from very poor backgrounds. Things like arriving on time, not being fed properly before training, having to work before they have to train sometimes. All these things, you have to adjust the way you work, the way you treat them, perhaps give them a little more leeway."

The success Stempel achieved on the club level soon translated internationally. He coached the Panamanian under-20 team to the World Cup in 2003, the first time Panama had made the finals of a world championship. After Panama failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, Alexandre Guimaraes was fired as head coach and Stempel was hired.

The players on the senior national team were all familiar with Stempel, both from the club level and his coaching of the Panamanian youth national teams.

"It's a great pleasure to work with him, to train with him," Alberto Blanco said. "I've known him for a long time. He's not just a coach, it's also a friendship now."

Now Stempel is attempting to lead Panama to its greatest football achievement.

"Panama has never beaten the U.S., so for us it can at least mark a point in our football history," Stempel said. "The U.S. has a tremendous record at home, so there's a lot of motivating factors, but obviously the most important is you want to proceed to the next round."