CONCACAF WORLD CUP QUALIFYING – ROUND 9
PREVIEW: HONDURAS vs UNITED STATES
It’s the biggest week for World Cup qualifying and CONCACAF is not the exception. The United States, Mexico, Honduras, and Costa Rica are fighting for three spots to qualify directly while El Salvador still has an outside shot of coming away with the playoff spot. The United States has landed in San Pedro Sula as they await for their crucial game tomorrow against Honduras at the Estadio Olimpico. A victory for team USA means they will clinch an automatic berth for South Africa 2010.
The USA is coming off two important wins over El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago. Bob Bradley’s side will look to get their third consecutive victory and snap Honduras’s undefeated streak at home in the 2010 CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers. Clint Dempsey will not be available for this match after suffering a shoulder injury playing for Fulham last weekend in the EPL. Frankie Hejduk was called up to replace Dempsey on the 22-man roster, but either Benny Feilhaber or Stuart Holden will take Dempsey’s place in the midfield. The U.S. is 5-0 against Honduras since 2005. However, the Americans should be cautious in executing their game plan given that eight players are carrying a yellow card and another booking in the Honduras match will mean they will be suspended for the game against Costa Rica. Jozy Altidore, Carlos Bocanegra, Conor Casey, Steve Cherundolo, Ricardo Clark, Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, and Frankie Hejduk have a yellow card going into the Honduras match.
Honduras, meanwhile, will play the U.S. at home for just the second time in the last 15 years. Much anticipation and excitement has taken over the Honduran fans. The fans are very aware that a win over the United States and a Costa Rica loss to Trinidad and Tobago will earn them an automatic World Cup berth for the first time since qualifying to the 1982 World Cup that took place in Spain. Reinaldo Rueda’s squad won’t have Amado Guevara available for this game. Guevara is serving a one-game suspension, but the attack-oriented Hondurans will have David Suazo, Carlos Costly, and Carlos Pavón. Costly and Pavón lead the team with 6 goals in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.
The Honduras-USA game won’t be televised in the United States, but Mad About Futbol will still have direct access to the broadcast because I will be doing the play-by-play for the English side on Pay per View. So, tune in tomorrow evening as ‘El Pibe de Oro’ will be calling all the action of this intense match-up of World Cup qualifying.
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