Honduras seeks salvation; U.S. seeks end to qualifying drama

October 7, 2009

One team hopes to soothe its anxiety by reaching the World Cup. The other needs to soothe the soul of a country by booking a spot in South Africa 2010.

Those are the challenges facing the United States and Honduras as they prepare for a vital World Cup qualifier in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on Saturday.

The United States, which which leads the final round of CONCACAF qualifying with 16 points, clinched a spot for Germany 2006 in the seventh game out of 10 matches. With fourth-place Costa Rica (12 points) looming in the last game of group play in Washington October 14, the Americans do not want to leave anything to chance.

The top three teams will qualify for the World Cup, with the fourth-place side playing the fifth-place team from South America in an aggregate goals series in November. With struggling, yet talented Argentina as a possible opponent, no team wants to play the South Americans.

“For me, it’s pretty simple,” U.S. midfielder Landon Donovan said. “The last two times we went through the process, we qualified with two games to spare. The last thing I want is Costa Rica in Washington, D.C. We will throw everything we can at this game [vs. Honduras] to qualify.

“As you know, anything can happen in soccer. We don’t want to leave this game to chance.”

The third-place Hondurans (13 points) last appeared in a World Cup in Spain in 1982 and haven’t been this close since.

Honduras, with a population of 7.8 million, has endured a recent political chaos. Manuel Zelaya, who was deposed as president in June, secretly returned to the country last month, taking refugee in the Brazilian embassy in the capital of Tegucigalpa. Schools, businesses, airports and border crossings were closed and severe curfews imposed.

“I can guarantee if we qualify for the World Cup, we would be the happiest country on the continent,” Honduran Football Federation General Secretary Alfredo Hawit told the New York Times.

Perhaps in the entire world.

“The soccer team is the soul of the country,” Honduran midfielder Roger Espinoza was quoted by the Times. “When it wins, the whole country is happy, no matter what is going on with the president. If we don’t win, you don’t want to be there as a player. Soccer is life there.”

There was news media speculation the game would be moved to a neutral venue in Central America, but it never materialized.

U.S. coach Bob Bradley will be forced to alter his lineup from the 1-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago last month after midfielder Clint Dempsey was sidelined with a sprained shoulder suffered while playing for Fulham (England) Sunday. Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo, MLS) and Jose Francisco Torres (Pachuca, Mexico) are the top candidates as Dempsey’s replacement.

Honduras coach Reinaldo Rueda called in all of his team’s regulars, including veteran forward Carlos Pavon (Real Espana, Honduras) and midfielders Ramon Nunez (Cruz Azul, Mexico) and Amado Guevara (Toronto FC, MLS).

Both teams can clinch a spot in South Africa with a victory, although Honduras will need some outside help by having last-placed Trinidad & Tobago beat Costa Rica in San Jose.

If both teams fail to qualify, they will have another opportunity on October 14. The USA will host Costa Rica, while Honduras will travel to El Salvador.

By Michael Lewis

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