Honduras vs USA March 24, 2017 FIFA World Cup™ Qualifier

Honduras will continue it’s quest to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia by facing off against Team USA on March 24, 2017 at Avaya Stadium San Jose, California USA

Honduras vs USA

Honduras

Honduras National Team 2017

Honduras vs USA Video Highlights

The U.S. got off to a dream start in the fifth minute when Jozy Altidore played Christian Pulisic into the area and the Borussia Dortmund midfielder’s deflected shot bounced to a wide open Sebastian Lletget to sweep home at the back post for a 1-0 lead.

Honduras nearly leveled the score in the 16th minute, as Alberth Elis found the ball drop right to his feet in the center of the U.S. penalty area, but his close-range effort went right to goalkeeper Tim Howard.

The rest of the first half was all U.S., though, with Michael Bradley doubling the hosts’ lead in the 27th minute, dribbling the ball in from the right side all the way across the top of the penalty area and firing a shot back across his body and into Donis Escober’s net to make it 2-0.

Dempsey was next up for the U.S., settling a cheeky Pulisic chip over the top of the Honduras defense and fired home to give his team a three-goal cushion after 45 minutes.

Bruce Arena’s team wasted no time adding to its goals total in the second half, with Pulisic finishing with aplomb after Altidore played him into the area with a first-time pass.

Minutes later, Dempsey had his second, with Pulisic the provider this time. The 18-year-old’s perfectly weighted pass sprang Dempsey, who beat Escober and slotted home to make it 5-0.

And Dempsey piled on the visitors’ woe, completing his hat trick from a free kick in the 54th minute to further put the game out of reach for Honduras.

Final Score USA 6 Honduras 0

Next World Cup Qualifier – Honduras vs Costa Rica March 28, 2017

Honduras Roster – Preliminary

GOALKEEPERS: Donis Escober (Olimpia), Luis Lopez (Real Espana), Ricardo Canales (Vida)

DEFENDERS: Brayan Beckeles (Necaxa), Henry Figueroa (Motagua), Maynor Figueroa (FC Dallas), Felix Crisianto (Motagua), Allans Vargas (Real Espana), Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic), Ever Alvarado (Olimpia), Cesar Oseguera (Real Espana)

MIDFIELDERS: Jorge Claros (Real Espana), Oliver Morazan (Juticalpa FC), Brayan Acosta (Real Espana), Roger Espinoza (Sporting Kansas City), Erick Andino (Motagua), Mario Martinez (Enppi), Carlos Disuca (Motagua), Andy Najar (Anderlecht), Boniek Garcia (Houston Dynamo), Romell Quioto (Houston Dynamo)

FORWARDS: Alberth Elis (Houston Dynamo), Anthony Lozano (Tenerife), Eddie Hernandez (Tolima), Rubilio Castillo (Motagua), Michael Chirinos (Olimpia)

USA Roster
Position (Club; WCQ Caps/Goals)

Goalkeepers (3): David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes; 0/0), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids; 33/0), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake; 0/0).

Defenders (8): DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo; 33/6), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin/GER; 2/0), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City/ENG; 19/2), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca/MEX; 12/0), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana/MEX; 6/1), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 2/0), Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna/MEX; 0/0), Walker Zimmerman (FC Dallas; 0/0).

Midfielders (9): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; 1/0), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union; 6/0, Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/CAN; 31/5), Jermaine Jones (LA Galaxy; 16/0), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 15/1), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; 0/0), Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers; 3/0), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 5/2).

Forwards (4): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC/CAN; 33/16), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC; 36/13), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; 3/0), Bobby Wood (Hamburg/GER; 8/3).

U.S. coach Bruce Arena commented on the Honduras National Team “Los Catrachos” La H, La Seleccion, La BiColor, La Seleccion, yes those are all nicknames to the Honduras National Soccer Team.
last week broke down the Catrachos.

There has been no Hexagonal match in which three points are more vital for the USA than the game against Honduras on March 24 in San Jose.

And perhaps the USA will never be more familiar with an opponent than the Catrachos, who could start a front six of current and former MLS players.

“From what I’ve seen is that they’re a very strong team,” said Arena after the Concacaf event for the Gold Cup. “They have good attacking players, very solid defensively — at times they play with five at the back — and will make it difficult on us.”

Honduras is just as in need for points as the USA, having opened the Hexagonal with a 1-0 loss at home to Panama. Its 3-1 win over Trinidad & Tobago left it with a split at the Estadio Olimpico in  San Pedro Sula, where it was the only team to open with two home games.

“I would think they’ll have a road mentality,” Arena added, “because they’re sitting there with three points and they’d like to steal a point on the road, so they’ll come in here and be pretty conservative and counterattack with the kind of speed they have going forward. It’s going to be challenging for us.”

Arena was referring to 21-year-old Alberth Elis and 25-year-old Romell Quioto, who have both impressed in the first two weeks in MLS for the Houston Dynamo, which is off to a 2-0-0 start. Quioto scored in both wins, while Elis scored his first MLS goal in the 3-1 win over Columbus on Saturday.

“They’re two attacking players with a lot of pace,” Arena said.

Against T&T, Honduras coach Jorge Luis Pinto started both Elis and Quioto along with former MLS players Jorge Claros and Mario Martinez and Sporting Kansas City’s Roger Espinoza and Oscar Boniek Garcia, the senior member of the Dynamo’s Catracho contingent.

“I think they have options how they’ll play,” Arena said. “They played with Garcia and Espinoza in midfield in a 4-1-4-1 in their last qualifier. Andy Najar is back and healthy. He’s an player they can drop in the mix.”

Najar, the former MLS Rookie of the Year with D.C. United, missed six months with a knee injury, but has regained his form and was one of the top players as Belgium’s Anderlecht overtook Club Brugge for first place in the Jupiler Pro League regular season, which ended on Sunday.

Arena downplayed the idea that playing against a team dominated by players his players knew very well would give the USA an extra advantage.

“We all know what’s going on,” he laughed. We’ll talk about the player and share opinions on the players. “

Honduras Soccer 2017:
Jan. 13: 2-1 Honduras vs Nicaragua (Copa Centroamericana)
Jan. 15: 2-1 Honduras vs El Salvador (Copa Centroamericana)
Jan. 17: 1-0 Honduras vs Panama (Copa Centroamericana)
Jan. 20: 1-1 Honduras vs Costa Rica (Copa Centroamericana)
Jan. 22: 1-0 Honduras vs Belize (Copa Centroamericana)
Feb. 16: 0-1 Honduras vs Jamaica (friendly, in Houston)
Feb. 22: 1-3 Honduras vs Ecuador (friendly)
March 16: Honduras vs Nicaragua (friendly)

Previous Honduras vs USA Matches

March 5, 2017

Honduras vs USA Soccer match for the 2017 U-20 Championship title – a re-match of the 1982 final that saw Honduras clinch its first regional U-20 Championship. Los Catrachos won again in 1994, but haven’t been to a final since.

Honduras vs USA

The USA is a regular in CONCACAF U-20 Championship finals: this will be its third in the last five tournaments. But for both teams, the win would be a rare opportunity to step out of Mexico’s shadow. Mexico’s El Tri is the dominant team at this level: 13 times the CONCACAF Men’s U-20 Champion. This year Mexico, however, was vulnerable. In the group stage, Honduras missed a penalty and lost 1-0 to Mexico. The Catrachos won their next two games to clinch their place in this final.

The USA beat Mexico in the Classification Stage, 1-0, upsetting the presumptive order of the group and giving the Americans to chance to make the final with a win over El Salvador. That win was accomplished, 2-1, and the USA is in the Championship game after an tournament-opening loss to Panama threatened to derail the team’s campaign.

Both teams are in form, both teams feature New York Red Bulls. Tyler Adams is a star central midfielder for the USA, young for this age-group but a standout for the team nonetheless. Adams is a graduate of the RBNY Academy, the first-ever signing for NYRB II (at age 16), a USL Cup winner with the II team in 2016 (at age 17), and is now an 18-year-old U-20 international and a starter-in-waiting for the Red Bulls in MLS.

Adams is not yet a teammate of Douglas Martinez. The Honduran is expected to join NYRB II after this tournament is over. An attacking player who tends to play on the right for the Honduras U-20, Martinez has been a regular starter throughout this Championship.

How to watch Honduras vs USA in the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship final: start time, TV schedule, and live stream
Honduras U-20 vs USA U-20 – 2017 CONCACAF Championship final
When: 4:00 pm, Eastern; Sunday, March 5, 2017
Where: Estadio Nacional, San Jose, Costa Rica
TV: Univision Deportes
Online: CONCACAF Facebook page

Here are five things you should know about the Honduras U20

The Roster
A total of 18 players on the Honduras roster play domestically, with historic league power Olimpia placing five players on the squad, while Motagua and Real Espańa have two each.

One player, midfielder Darixon Vuelto, plays outside Honduras with Spanish Segunda División club CD Tenerife.

Take a look at the Complete Honduras roster:

Honduras U20 2017 Soccer Team

Goalkeepers (2): Javier Delgado (CD Honduras Progreso/HON), Michael Perello (CD Marathon/HON)
Defenders (7): Dylan Andrade (Platense FC/HON), Wesly Decas (Pumas/HON), Jose García (CD Victoria/HON), Kenneth Hernández (CD Victoria/HON), Denil Maldonado (CD Motagua/HON), Jalex Sánchez (Real CD España/HON), Riky Zapata (CD Real Sociedad/HON)
Midfielders (8): Jorge Álvarez (CD Olimpia/HON), Sendel Cruz (Juticalpa FC/HON), Rembrandt Flores (CD Olimpia/HON), Foslyn Grant (CD Motagua/HON), Carlos Pineda (CD Olimpia/HON), Jose Quiroz (Real CD España/HON), Jose Reyes (CD Olimpia/HON), Darixon Vuelto (CD Tenerife/ESP)
Forwards (3): Douglas Martínez (CSD Vida/HON), Jose Pinto (CD Olimpia/HON), Byron Rodriguez (Parrillas One/HON)

2016 UNCAF Champions
Honduras began its ramp up to the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in July of 2016 during La Eliminatoria Sub-20 de Centroamérica. Held from July 8-16 in Panama, the Central American Football Union’s (UNCAF) qualifying tournament featured five teams after Costa Rica automatically qualified to the CONCACAF U-20 Championship as the host nation and Belize withdrew.

This left El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama vying for the three spots. In a single round-robin group phase, Honduras finished atop the group with eight points after defeating El Salvador (2-1) and Nicaragua (2-0), and drawing against Guatemala (2-2) and Panama (1-1). Midfielder Sendel Cruz was the only player to rack up multiple goals in the tournament, with two.

CONCACAF U-20 Championship performance
Honduras enters the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship Final with the same overall record as the United States, winning four games and losing one (4-1-0). Los Catrachos’ only loss came in their Group A finale, when they fell 1-0 to Mexico after defeating Canada 1-0 and Antigua and Barbuda 4-1.
In its first Classification Stage game against Panama, Honduras got off to a blazing start. In the sixth minute, Douglas Martínez slotted the ball past Panama’s left back, giving midfielder Darixon Vuelto enough space to cut inside and use his dominant left foot to send a rocket to the upper right corner. Seventy-five minutes later, Los Catrachos would seal their three points on a well-hit strike from midfielder Jorge Álvarez.
Honduras’ second Classification Stage clash against host nation Costa Rica would prove to be slightly more challenging. After conceding a goal in the 47th minute, Honduras quickly gathered themselves and retaliated two minutes later off the head of defender Denil Maldonado. In the 70th minute, Honduras found the winner thanks to another header from midfielder Foslyn Grant. The second successfully converted corner kick of the game would punch Honduras’ ticket to the CONCACAF U-20 Championship Final and U-20 World Cup.

Honduras U-20 History
Since 1962, Honduras has participated in 18 of the possible 26 CONCACAF U-20 tournaments, including 2017. Although they were originally crowned as Champions of the 1982 CONCACAF U-20 Tournament, after a 1-0 victory against the United States, the CONCACAF title and World Cup berth was taken away shortly thereafter when the team was disqualified for using overage players. Honduras was considered tournament champions in 1994 when it finished atop the final group stage, which sent the top two teams to the 1995 FIFA World Youth Championship in Qatar. Los Catrachos were also runners up at the 1964 and 1976 CONCACAF tournaments.
Of the 17 CONCACAF U-20 tournaments Honduras has participated in prior to 2017, Los Catrachos have posted a 51-18-13 record and punched tickets to the FIFA U-20 World Cup six times: 1977, 1995, 1999, 2005, 2009 and 2015. Although a Honduras team has never made it out of the group stage during those six World Cup opportunities, it came closest to advancing out of its group at the 1977 FIFA World Youth Championship in Tunisia when the team finished second to Uruguay.

Hondurans in the USA M.L.S.
There is a long history of Honduran internationals playing a significant role in M.L.S. clubs, and this year is no different. A total of seven Hondurans national team players are in the league this year, including four who were part of the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad: Víctor Bernárdez (San Jose Earthquakes), Roger Espinoza (Sporting Kansas City), Maynor Figueroa (FC Dallas), and Boniek Garcia (Houston Dynamo).

Game Recap
Danny Acosta scored the winning goal in a shootout and the United States beat Honduras tie to win the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The U.S. won the tiebreaker 5-3 after a 0-0 tie. Acosta slotted the penalty kick into the lower left corner to give the U.S. its first CONCACAF title at the U-20 level.

The U.S. converted all of its penalty kicks, with Brooks Lennon, Coy Craft, Emmanuel Sabbi and Luca De La Torre connecting before Acosta. Jorge Alvarez, Douglas Martinez and Foslyn Grant scored for Honduras, and Rembrandt Flores missed.

The U.S. will play in the FIFA U-20 World Cup on May 20-June 11 in South Korea.

Final Score
The U.S. won against Honduras at penalty shots following a regulation tied game that ended 0-0. The tiebreaker penalties final was 5-3.