CRUNCH TIME: After 16 games spanning 16 months, the U.S. is on the brink of qualifying for its sixth consecutive World Cup finals. Holding the top spot in the group with two matches remaining, the USA ’s path to advancing is as clear as it is precarious. While several scenarios could lead to South Africa on Matchday 9, one remains certain: a victory against Honduras . The U.S. faces that formidable challenge Oct. 10 in the cauldron of Estadio Olimpico in San Pedro Sula , with kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m. MT. Fans can check ussoccer.com for a listing of establishments showing the match, or can follow along on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker or at twitter.com/ussoccer.
WHERE TO WATCH USA-HONDURAS: With every national team match, U.S. Soccer wants the television broadcast to reach the widest audience possible. However, the worldwide television rights to each CONCACAF World Cup qualifying match are the property of the hosting nation, meaning the hosting nation may distribute those rights at its discretion. In regards to the U.S. Men’s National Team’s match against Honduras on Oct. 10, the rights are owned by the Honduras federation, which chose to sell the U.S. television rights, in both English and Spanish, to a company which opted to broadcast via closed circuit feed only. As a result, the match will not be televised by any network or cable channel. While U.S. Soccer would prefer the match be more accessible to fans, we have no broadcast rights in this instance. However, we still wish to assist our fans as much as possible in their efforts to view the match and support the team. For a list of Official U.S. Soccer Bars and other establishments that confirmed that they will be showing the match, please click here.
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: Two games to play in CONCACAF qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and everything to play for in one of the tightest qualifying races anywhere in the world. The United States , Mexico , Honduras and Costa Rica are intent on fighting for three automatic berths, with El Salvador still harboring an outside chance of gate crashing the top four. Mexico would seemingly have the easiest run-in, playing host to El Salvador and traveling to already-eliminated Trinidad & Tobago. Costa Rica looks to get back on track after a recent run of poor results - including a potentially disastrous home loss to Mexico - while Honduras ' double date with the USA and final-day trip to El Salvador looms large. The permutations are endless, but all will be decided in the final week of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying.
Matchday 7 – Sept. 5, 2009
Costa Rica 0, Mexico 3
United States 2, El Salvador 1
Honduras 4, Trinidad & Tobago 1
Matchday 8 – Sept. 9, 2009
Trinidad & Tobago 0, United States 1
El Salvador 1, Costa Rica 0
Mexico 1, Honduras 0
Matchday 9 – Oct. 10, 2009
Costa Rica vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 10 p.m. ET
Mexico vs. El Salvador, 6 p.m. ET
Honduras vs. United States, 10 p.m. ET
Matchday 10United States vs. Costa Rica , 8 p.m. ET
Trinidad & Tobago vs. Mexico, 8 p.m. ET
El Salvador vs. Honduras, 8 p.m. ET
TO REACH THE PROMISED LAND: In order to secure a top-three finish in CONCACAF and an automatic berth to the FIFA World Cup on Matchday 9, the U.S. has to equal or exceed the number of points that Costa Rica earns hosting Trinidad & Tobago, which can be accomplished the following ways:
1. A U.S. win (with any Costa Rica result)
2. A Costa Rica loss (with any U.S. result)
3. A U.S. tie with a Costa Rica tie or loss
Note: If the U.S. fails to qualify on Matchday 9, the U.S. would qualify on the final match against Costa Rica with a win or tie. Or, if Costa Rica ties Trinidad & Tobago on Matchday 9, the U.S. could still qualify on Matchday 10 with a loss against Costa Rica if the U.S. retains a favorable goal differential.
Note 2: If the U.S. loses both games, they can still qualify ahead of Costa Rica, Honduras or Mexico depending on other results and goal difference, although several of the scenarios are unlikely (two Mexico losses and an El Salvador rout of Honduras by at least nine goals)
TO KEEP AN EYE ON: While a lot of variables still remain to determine which teams will represent CONCACAF at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, consider these facts for the U.S. heading into the final two games:
El Salvador avoided elimination on the last matchday by virtue of their dramatic injury time winner against Costa Rica . El Salvador can still obtain a top three place, but they would need to win both of their games and get help from other teams. Trinidad & Tobago was eliminated with their loss against the USA on Sept. 9.
In the previous two World Cup cycles, the third place team qualified for the World Cup with 16 points in 2006, and 17 points in 2002.
The U.S. finished in third place during the 2002 cycle, qualifying on Matchday 9 with a 2-1 victory on Oct. 7, 2001, against Jamaica . In the 2006 cycle, the U.S. booked their ticket in the seventh game of the 10-match round-robin, earning a comprehensive 2-0 win against Mexico on Sept. 3, 2005, in Columbus .
TIE-BREAKERS: With the end of qualifying looming, now is a good time to refresh the system of tiebreakers used to separate teams in the standings. The ranking in each hexagonal is determined as follows:
1. greatest number of points obtained in all group matches;
2. goal difference in all group matches;
3. greatest number of goals scored in all group matches.
If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings will be determined as follows:
4. greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
5. goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned;
6. greatest number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned;
7. drawing of lots by the FIFA Organizing Committee.
QUICK HITS
The U.S. travels to San Pedro Sula with 22 players. After being named to the squad, Clint Dempsey suffered a shoulder sprain in his latest league match with Fulham and will not travel to Honduras . Two-time World Cup veteran Frankie Hejduk was added to the training camp roster Tuesday.
There are no suspended U.S. players heading into Saturday evening's match. Honduras captain Amado Guevara and Elvis Turcios are suspended for the hosts. See below for a full disciplinary report.
The U.S. has a lifetime record of 10-2-3 against Honduras , with a 3-1-1 record in World Cup qualifying. The teams have met four times on Honduran soil dating back to 1965, with only one meeting in the last 15 years. The U.S. is 2-1-1 in those encounters.
The USA 's last trip to Honduras came in 2001, when goals from Earnie Stewart and Clint Mathis helped the U.S. to a 2-1 victory on March 28, 2001, in San Pedro Sula in the second match of final round qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Steve Cherundolo is the only player on the current roster to appear in that game, earning only his second cap for the United States .
The U.S. is 4-3-1 on the road overall in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.
Honduras is 8-0-0 at home in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, the same record as the United States , earning five shutouts in the process.
The team last played at least two consecutive road qualifiers during a stretch in 2008 where the team played three games abroad. On June 22, 2008, the team defeated Barbados 1-0 in the second leg of the second round of FIFA World Cup qualifying. The USA then opened the semifinal round with two games on the road: a 1-0 victory against Guatemala in Guatemala City on Aug. 20, 2008 – their first win on Guatemalan soil in more than 20 years – and a 1-0 win against Cuba on Sept. 6 in Havana .
Nine players on the U.S. roster for Saturday's game started in the last World Cup qualifier against Honduras on June 6, 2009, at Soldier Field. Goals from Landon Donovan and Carlos Bocanegra helped the USA to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory against Los Catrachos.
That match marked a return to national team duty for Benny Feilhaber, with the midfielder coming on as a halftime sub to make his first appearance for Bob Bradley's team in more than year.
Landon Donovan leads all U.S. scorers with three career goals against Honduras , while four other players have also tallied against the Central American side: Bocanegra, Brian Ching, and defenders Clarence Goodson and Oguchi Onyewu.
Onyewu scored his first national team goal against Honduras , a game-winner in the 92nd minute that sent the U.S. into the final of the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup against Panama .
Goodson's goal against Honduras came in remarkably similar circumstances: it was the defender's first national team goal, it was a header, it was a game-winner and it sent the USA on its way to the CONCACAF Gold Cup final (albeit four years later in 2009).
With his goal in the 2-1 win against El Salvador on Sept. 5 in Sandy , Utah , Jozy Altidore remained the USA ’s leading scorer in the 2010 qualifying cycle with six goals. Dempsey moved into second place on the list with his game-tying goal that day, now on five goals scored.
Ricardo Clark scored his first World Cup qualifying goal in the most recent game for the USA . The midfielder's 25-yard drive proved the game-winning goal against Trinidad & Tobago on Sept. 9 in Port-of-Spain that delivered the U.S. their first road win in the final round.
Donovan, the USA 's all-time assists leader with 41 total, set up Clark's goal in Trinidad . It was the third consecutive goal in qualifying where he has lent a hand, having served up assists to Dempsey and Altidore in the 2-1 win against El Salvador four days earlier.
Donovan has contributed to 10 of the USA ’s 14 goals in the final round of qualifying, tallying two goals and eight assists.
Donovan now has nine assists in 2009, tied with Cobi Jones’ record of nine in one calendar year for the United States .
Michael Bradley, Bocanegra, Dempsey and Donovan have started 13 out of 14 qualifiers this cycle. Donovan has the most minutes in qualifying (1,160), with Bocanegra (1,150) and Bradley (1,145) close behind.
Stuart Holden made his World Cup qualifying debut when he came on as a sub in the game at Estadio Azteca. He reprised that role in the 2-1 win against El Salvador and the 1-0 victory against T & T.
Tim Howard, who earned the Golden Glove award in South Africa as the tournament’s best goalkeeper, has eight shutouts in 14 career World Cup qualifiers. Three of those clean sheets have come against T & T, a pair of 3-0 victories and last month's win in Port-of-Spain.
Howard earned his 28th career win against Trinidad , surpassing Brad Friedel (27) and gaining sole possession of third all-time behind Kasey Keller (53) and Tony Meola (37).
In 13 games in 2009, Altidore has recorded six goals without also registering an assist, the most goals without a helper since Frank Klopas scored eight times without adding an assist to his stat sheet in 1994.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Average Age: 26.1 Average Caps: 32.6
Most Caps: 118 (Landon Donovan) Fewest Caps: 6 (Clarence Goodson, Robbie Rogers, José Francisco Torres
Oldest: 35 (Frankie Hejduk) Youngest: 19 (Jozy Altidore)
Play professionally in: USA (9), England (4), Germany (3), France (2), Denmark (1), Italy (1), Mexico (1), Norway (1)
PROCEED WITH CAUTION: Eight players on the U.S. roster are carrying cautions into the match, meaning their next yellow card will trigger a one-game suspension. Honduras has four players in the same situation:
USA Honduras
Jozy Altidore Osman Chavez
Carlos Bocanegra Carlo Costly
Conor Casey Julio César León
Steve Cherundolo Ramon Nuñez
Ricardo Clark
Landon Donovan
Benny Feilhaber
Frankie Hejduk
FAMILIAR FOES: Honduras has proven a frequent foil for Bob Bradley's side in one of the busiest years of all time for the U.S. Men's National Team. The game on Saturday will mark the fourth time the teams have met in international competitions in 2009, a record for a United States opponent. Even more interesting was the proximity of the first three meetings, which took place in a 47-day span during the USA 's incredibly busy summer which took them from Central America to the United States to the Confederations Cup and back for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
2009 U.S. Games against Honduras
Date
Competition
Result
U.S. Goal Scorers
Venue
June 6
2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
2-1 W
Donovan, Bocanegra
Soldier Field, Chicago , Ill.
July 8
CONCACAF Gold Cup
2-0 W
Quaranta, Ching
RFK Stadium, Washington , D.C.
July 23
CONCACAF Gold Cup
2-0 W
Goodson, Cooper
Soldier Field, Chicago , Ill.
GAME-WINNERS: With his goal against El Salvador , Jozy Altidore became the fourth U.S. player to record multiple game-winning goals in this World Cup cycle. Michael Bradley has a pair of game-winners to his credit, including the brilliant flick against T & T on Sept. 10, 2008, in the 3-0 win in Bridgeview , Ill. , and both goals in the 2-0 win against Mexico on Feb. 11 in Columbus . Carlos Bocanegra headed home the lone goal in the 1-0 win on Aug. 20, 2008, at Guatemala to open the semifinal round, then repeated the feat to help the U.S. past Honduras on June 6 in Chicago. Clint Dempsey recorded two game-winning goals in World Cup qualifying last year – against Barbados on June 15, 2008, in Carson , Calif. , and in the 1-0 win on Sept. 6, 2008, in Cuba . Overall, eight U.S. scorers have GWG next to their name on the scoresheet in this cycle.
RALLY CAPS: The come from behind win against El Salvador marked the second consecutive home qualifier the U.S. has erased a deficit to take three points. On June 6 in Chicago , goals by Landon Donovan and Carlos Bocanegra nullified an early strike by Carlo Costly. The U.S. staged a different kind of comeback on March 28 in El Salvador when Frankie Hejduk had a goal and an assist to earn a 2-2 draw in El Salvador . The rally marked the first time that the team had faced and erased a two-goal deficit on the road. The USA ’s previous two-goal comeback came Oct. 8, 1995, at RFK Stadium, when the U.S. spotted Saudi Arabia three goals in 29 minutes until a four-goal rally culminated in a goal by Roy Lassiter to lift the U.S. to a stunning 4-3 victory.
DEJA VU – WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF? Matchday 9 of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan was filled with some amazing twists and turns that came together to send the U.S. team to Asia . Now in similar circumstances, the U.S. could qualify for South Africa if results around the hexagonal go the USA 's way. Revisit an exciting day of qualifying from eight years ago with ussoccer.com's look at the culmination of the road to the 2002 World Cup
FRIENDLY CONFINES: If you have ever discounted the importance of winning games at home, the CONCACAF 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying standings should make you sit up and take notice. Of the top four teams, only Costa Rica is not a perfect 8-0-0 at home during the road to South Africa . As a result of their improbable loss to Mexico at Estadio Saprissa, Los Ticos are on the outside looking in at an automatic berth to the World Cup.
LD SNATCHES ANOTHER RECORD: Landon Donovan holds numerous records for the U.S. Men's National Team, and last month he set another. Donovan surpassed former teammates and national team standouts Kasey Keller, Eddie Pope, and Claudio Reyna when he started against El Salvador on Sept. 5, and took his total appearances in World Cup qualifying to 33 when he played the full 90 minutes against Trinidad & Tobago on Sept. 9.
World Cup Qualifying All-Time Appearances
Name Apps. Era
1. Landon Donovan 33 2000-2009
2. Kasey Keller 31 1990-2007
Eddie Pope 31 1996-2006
Claudio Reyna 31 1994-2006
5. Cobi Jones 30 1992-2004
Earnie Stewart 30 1990-2004
7. Jeff Agoos 26 1988-2003
DaMarcus Beasley 26 2001-2009
9. Brian McBride 25 1993-2006
GAME NO. 21 ON THE WORLD TOUR: Saturday’s match represents the 21st international for the U.S. team in 2009, and the 20th game in official competition, which is already the most ever in a calendar year (the previous record was 16 in 2005). The U.S. holds a record of 12-6-2 through the first seven months of the year, scoring 37 goals, surrendering 28, and earning eight shutouts with three different goalkeepers. There have been four games against teams in the top 10 in the world (Spain, Brazil twice, and Italy), the first erasure of a two-goal deficit to earn at le ast a point in 13 years (against El Salvador in March), two come-from-behind wins at home (against Honduras and El Salvador), and consecutive appearances in international tournament finals (FIFA Confederations Cup and CONCACAF Gold Cup).
INTO THE NEXT 50: Since January of 2007 it has been the charge of U.S. head coach Bob Bradley to achieve the most important goal of any soccer playing nation: qualification for the FIFA World Cup. With 52 games under his belt, seeing 85 different players at least once and the process of reaching South Africa in 2010 coming to a climax, a review of the body of work during the past nearly-three years points to the U.S. clearly heading in the right direction. Bradley’s 31 victories in 50 games outdistanced his predecessor Bruce Arena, who had collected 25 victories at that point in his tenure. Since the start of the four-year cycle, the U.S. has:
produced the best finish ever at a FIFA tournament, finishing second at the FIFA Confederations Cup.
won six straight FIFA World Cup qualifiers in a row in 2008, a new team record (June 15-Oct. 15).
won the CONCACAF Gold Cup title in 2007 to qualify for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
won by the largest margin of victory in U.S. World Cup qualifying history (8-0 vs. Barbados on June 15, 2008).
won back-to-back games in Europe for the first time in team history (Oct. 17, 2007 @ Switzerland and March 26, 2008 @ Poland ).
won three straight matches on the road for the first time in team history (Oct. 17, 2007 @ Switzerland , Nov. 17, 2007 @ South Africa and March 26, 2008 @ Poland).
played seven matches against four teams ranked in the top five in the world at the time they stepped on the field against them (Argentina, Brazil-3, Italy, Spain-2).
played matches on four continents.
posted 1-1-1 record against No. 1-ranked teams, including a semifinal upset of Spain at the FIFA Confederations Cup.
THE BRADLEY BREAKDOWN
Record
All-Time: 33-14-5
Qualifying: 12-3-1
Gold Cup: 10-1-1
Goals For: 98
Goals Against: 57
Shutouts: 22
Record vs. …
CONCACAF: 23-4-4, 60 GF, 26 GA
CONMEBOL: 1-6-1, 9 GF, 19 GA
UEFA: 6-4-0, 15 GF, 10 GA
AFC: 1-0-0, 4 GF, 1 GA
CAF: 2-0-0, 4 GF, 0 GA
Record when …
Leading at half: 21-2-2
Losing at half: 2-4-1
Tied at half: 10-8-2
STARTING ANEW: Before losing to Mexico in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final, the U.S. had gone 58 games without losing to a CONCACAF opponent on home soil. On Sept. 5 against El Salvador , the USA started a new streak by grabbing their first win, but here's a look back at the 58-game unbeaten run stretching more than eight years. During the run the U.S. went 7-0-0 against Honduras , with three wins coming in 2009 alone.
2001: 1-0-0; 2 GF, 1 GA
2002: 7-0-1; 19 GF, 0 GA (8 clean sheets)
2003: 5-0-1; 16 GF, 2 GA (5)
2004: 5-0-2; 17 GF, 2 GA (5)
2005: 10-0-2; 22 GF, 4 GA (9)
2006: 1-0-2; 5 GF, 1 GA (2)
2007: 7-0-1; 15 GF, 3 GA (4)
2008: 4-0-1; 21 GF, 3 GA (3)
2009: 7-0-1; 19 GF, 5 GA (5)
Total: 47-0-11; 136 GF, 21 GA (41 clean sheets)
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Ricardo Clark became the USA 's 15th different scorer in 2010 World Cup Qualifying when he netted the game winner on Sept. 9 in Trinidad & Tobago. Clark's goal made him the first unique U.S. goalscorer since Frankie Hejduk tallied against El Salvador in March. Hejduk joined Carlos Bocanegra (2) and Oguchi Onyewu (1) as the other defenders to score in qualifying. Jozy Altidore leads all scorers (6), with Clint Dempsey (5) right behind him. Michael Bradley (4), Brian Ching (4) and Landon Donovan (4) have found the net with some frequency, while Charlie Davies (2) and DaMarcus Beasley (2) have also registered multiple goals. Also on the score sheet with one goal each are Freddy Adu, Kenny Cooper, Eddie Johnson and Eddie Lewis, who made his goal count as the game-winner on June 22, 2008, against Barbados . Clark was also the 18th different player to score in 2009, matching the record number of different goal scorers set by the U.S. team in 1993 and 2000.
BY THE NUMBERS: U.S. IN WORLD CUP QUALIFYING
0 – Losses at home in qualifying under Bob Bradley
1 – Player on the roster who played for the USA the last time the team traveled to Honduras : Steve Cherundolo.
6 – Goals by Jozy Altidore in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, good for the team lead
9 – Total clean sheets kept by Tim Howard and Brad Guzan out of 14 games
11 - Goals for Landon Donovan in World Cup qualifying, the USA 's all-time leader
42 – Players with at least one appearance in 2010 World Cup qualifying
TICKETS ON SALE FOR FINAL MATCHDAY IN WASHINGTON D.C. : Tickets for the U.S. Men's National Team's final home qualifier of the 2010 FIFA World Cup cycle are on sale now at ussoccer.com. The USA will take on Costa Rica on Oct. 14 at RFK Stadium in Washington , D.C. in the last game of the final round of qualifying. The United States has a perfect 8-0-0 record in home qualifiers and will try to keep up the run as they meet Los Ticos in what could be a deciding game for a place in the World Cup.
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: Keep up with all U.S. Men’s National Team news (in short form, of course) by following at www.twitter.com/ussoccer.
U.S. SOCCER ON FACEBOOK: U.S. Soccer is offering a new way to follow its teams with the “Official U.S. Soccer Page” on Facebook. Visit the page to post videos, interact with other fans and follow the latest news from all U.S. Soccer teams. The new Official U.S. Soccer Page on Facebook is the best place to keep with your favorite teams and make your voice heard in the U.S. Soccer community.
THE GAME IS IN US: Support for United States ' bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022 has picked up some serious steam since the launch of http://gousabid.com. Twelve other nations are bidding to host at least one of the tournaments and if we're going to win the honor of hosting the FIFA World Cup™, it'll be because of the overwhelming grassroots support of soccer fans who believe in our bid's official theme, The Game Is In US. Please take a moment to sign the petition to officially show your support for the US bid to bring the World Cup™ back to America .
IN FOCUS: HONDURAS
HONDURAS FACT FILE
Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras
Founded: 1951 (Joined FIFA the same year)
Head Coach: Reinaldo Rueda (Colombia)
Best World Cup Finish: First Round, 1982
Best CONCACAF Gold Cup Finish: Runner-up, 1991
Caps Leader: Amada Guevara (127)
Top Scorer: Carlos Pavon (55)
Key Players: Carlo Costly, Wilson Palacios, David Suazo
ON THE VERGE: Honduras is within touching distance of their first trip to the World Cup since 1982. An unblemished home record (8-0-0 in 2010 World Cup qualifying) has been a large part of Los Catrachos' march towards South Africa and Reinaldo Rueda's men can complete a perfect home performance with a win against the USA. The home crowd in San Pedro Sula will be in a frenzied mood as Honduras goes for its first victory against the USA in four attempts in 2009.
CALLING 'EM IN: Rueda has summoned 24 players into camp, with 10 players coming from clubs abroad. Team captain Amado Guevara is suspended for the game against the United States , but the 2004 MLS MVP is joined by a growing contingent of players in Europe that includes Wilson Palacios at Tottenham Hotspur. The combative midfielder is winning admirers in England where his all-action style has fit well into the Premier League. In the same league, fullback Maynor Figueroa has solidified his place at Wigan Athletic where he's recently been joined by compatriot Hendry Thomas. Dangerous striker David Suazo plays under Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan, while Edgard Álvarez and Julio César Leon also play in Italy 's Serie A with Bari and Parma , respectively. Rueda has called on his fair share of domestic based players as well, with five players coming from current Honduran champions Olimpia. That includes defender Jonny Palacios, brother of Carlos and Wilson, who was added as a late replacement for the injured Victor "Muma" Bernárdez.
Honduras Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (3): Noel Valladares (Olimpia), Donis Escober (Olimpia), Ricardo Canales (Motagua)
DEFENDERS (8): Osman Chávez (Platense), Maynor Figueroa (Wigan Athletic), Boniek García (Olimpia), Emilio Izaguirre (Motagua), Erick Norales (Marathón), Carlos Palacios (Real España), Jonny Palacios (Olimpia) Mauricio Sabillón (Marathón)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Edgard Álvarez ( Bari ), Julio César León ( Parma ) Ramón Núñez (Cruz Azul), Amado Guevara ( Toronto FC), Wilson Palacios (Tottenham Hotspur), Hendry Thomas ( Wigan Athletic), Danilo Turcios (Olimpia), Melvin Valladares (Real España)
FORWARDS (5): Carlos Pavón (Real España), Carlo Costly (Belchatow), Walter Martínez (Marathón), Jerry Palacios (Marathón), David Suazo (Inter Milán)
LAST TIME…
On the field for USA in World Cup qualifying
Sept. 9, 2009 – Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad – 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, Final Round, Matchday 8
USA 1 Ricardo Clark 63
Trinidad & Tobago 0
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 2-Jonathan Spector, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.), 12-Jonathan Bornstein; 8-Clint Dempsey (7-Stuart Holden, 82), 13-Ricardo Clark, 4-Michael Bradley, 10-Landon Donovan; 9-Charlie Davies (11-Brian Ching, 77), 17-Jozy Altidore (16-Benny Feilhaber, 63)
Subs not used: 6-Steve Cherundolo, 14-Jose Francisco Torres, 15-Chad Marshall , 18-Brad Guzan
Head Coach: Bob Bradley
TRI: 1-Clayton Ince; 11-Carlos Edwards, 3-Radanfa Abu Bakr, 6-Dennis Lawrence (capt.), 4-Jlloyd Samuel; 10-Hayden Tinto (12-Keon Daniel, 66), 2-Clyde Leon, 8-Trent Noel (9-Jason Scotland, 84), 16-Silvio Spann (14-Kerry Baptiste, 72); 13-Cornell Glen, 17-Kenwyne Jones
Subs not used: 5-Keyeno Thomas, 7-Densil Theobald, 15-Lyndon Andrews, 18-Marvin Philip
Head Coach: Russell Latapy
On the field for Honduras in World Cup qualifying
Sept. 9, 2009 – Estadio Azteca , Mexico City, Mexico – 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, Final Round, Matchday 8
Mexico 1 Cuauhtemoc Blanco 76 (pen)
Honduras 0
MEX: 1-Guillermo Ochoa; 2-Jonny Magallon, 3-Carlos Salcido, 5-Ricardo Osorio, 8-Israel Castro, 10-Cuauhtemoc Blanco (capt.), 14-Miguel Sabah (9-Juan Carlos Cacho, 71), 15-Jose Castro (11-Pablo Barrera, 62), 16-Efrain Juarez, 17-Giovani dos Santos (13-Oscar Rojas, 80), 18-Andres Guardado
Subs not used: 4-Aaron Galindo, 6-Hector Moreno , 7-Nery Castillo, 12-Jose Corona
Head Coach: Javier Aguirre
HON: 18-Noel Valladares; 2-Osman Chavez, 3-Maynor Figueroa, 7-Amado Guevara (capt.), 8-Wilson Palacios, 9-Carlos Pavon, 11-Ramon Nunez, 12-Emilio Izaguirre, 15-David Suazo (13-Carlo Costly, 59), 16-Mauricio Sabillon (14-Oscar Garcia, 46), 17-Elvis Turcios
Subs not used: 1-Donis Escober, 4-Melvin Valladares, 5-Victor Bernardez, 6-Walter Martinez
Head Coach: Reinaldo Rueda
On the field vs. Honduras in World Cup qualifying
June 6, 2009 – Soldier Field, Chicago , Ill. – 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, Final Round, Matchday 4
USA 2 Landon Donovan 43 (pen), Carlos Bocanegra 68
HONDURAS 1 Carlo Costly 5
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 12-Jonathan Spector, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.) (14-Jay DeMerit, 71), 13-Jonathan Bornstein; 8-Clint Dempsey, 2 -Ricardo Clark, 4-Pablo Mastroeni (9-Benny Feilhaber, 46), 10-Landon Donovan; 11-Conor Casey (7-DaMarcus Beasley, 75), 17-Jozy Altidore
Subs not used: 18-Brad Guzan, 6-Marvell Wynne, 15-Charlie Davies, 16-Sacha Kljestan
Head Coach: Bob Bradley
HON: 18-Noel Vallardes; 14-Mauricio Sabillon, 2-Osman Chavez, 6-Mario Beata, 3-Maynor Figueroa; 13-Carlo Costly, 7-Amado Guevara (capt.), 4-Hendry Thomas, 10-Ramon Nunez (15-Walter Martinez, 79); 9-Carlos Pavon (16-Georgie Welcome, 67), 8-Wilson Palacios (17-Danilo Turcios, 66)
Subs not used: 1-Junior Morales, 5-Erick Norales, 11-Allan Lalin, 12-Emilio Izaguirre
Head Coach: Reinaldo Rueda
On the field in Honduras :
March 28, 2001 – Estadio Olimpico, San Pedro Sula , Honduras – 2001 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, Final Round, Matchday 3
Honduras 1 Julio Cesar de Leon 59
USA 2 Earnie Stewart 32, Clint Mathis 87
HON: 22-Noel Valladares; 24-Ninrod Medina , 2-Ivan Guerrero, 3-Reinaldo Clavasquin (10-Julio Cesar de Leon , 45), 4-Samuel Caballero; 20-Amado Guevara, 8-Jose Pineda (12-Maynor Suazo, 78), 16-Christian Santamaria (18-Jairo Martinez , 45); 5-Milton Reyes, 9-Carlos Pavon, 11-Milton Nunez
Subs: 1-Junior Morales, 6-Jaime Rosales, 15-Ricky Garcia, 17-Javier Martinez
Head Coach: Ramon Maradiaga
USA: 1-Brad Friedel; 2-Steve Cherundolo, 6-David Regis, 12-Jeff Agoos, 16-Carlos Llamosa; 5-Clint Mathis (3-Gregg Berhalter, 87) 14-Chris Armas, 8-Earnie Stewart, 22-Tony Sanneh; 15-Josh Wolff (20-Chris Albright, 67), 11-Ante Razov (13-Cobi Jones, 70)
Subs: 7-Eddie Lewis, 9-Preki Radosavljevic, 18-Kasey Keller, 21-Richie Williams
Head Coach: Bruce Arena
WHERE TO WATCH USA-HONDURAS: With every national team match, U.S. Soccer wants the television broadcast to reach the widest audience possible. However, the worldwide television rights to each CONCACAF World Cup qualifying match are the property of the hosting nation, meaning the hosting nation may distribute those rights at its discretion. In regards to the U.S. Men’s National Team’s match against Honduras on Oct. 10, the rights are owned by the Honduras federation, which chose to sell the U.S. television rights, in both English and Spanish, to a company which opted to broadcast via closed circuit feed only. As a result, the match will not be televised by any network or cable channel. While U.S. Soccer would prefer the match be more accessible to fans, we have no broadcast rights in this instance. However, we still wish to assist our fans as much as possible in their efforts to view the match and support the team. For a list of Official U.S. Soccer Bars and other establishments that confirmed that they will be showing the match, please click here.
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: Two games to play in CONCACAF qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and everything to play for in one of the tightest qualifying races anywhere in the world. The United States , Mexico , Honduras and Costa Rica are intent on fighting for three automatic berths, with El Salvador still harboring an outside chance of gate crashing the top four. Mexico would seemingly have the easiest run-in, playing host to El Salvador and traveling to already-eliminated Trinidad & Tobago. Costa Rica looks to get back on track after a recent run of poor results - including a potentially disastrous home loss to Mexico - while Honduras ' double date with the USA and final-day trip to El Salvador looms large. The permutations are endless, but all will be decided in the final week of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying.
Matchday 7 – Sept. 5, 2009
Costa Rica 0, Mexico 3
United States 2, El Salvador 1
Honduras 4, Trinidad & Tobago 1
Matchday 8 – Sept. 9, 2009
Trinidad & Tobago 0, United States 1
El Salvador 1, Costa Rica 0
Mexico 1, Honduras 0
Matchday 9 – Oct. 10, 2009
Costa Rica vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 10 p.m. ET
Mexico vs. El Salvador, 6 p.m. ET
Honduras vs. United States, 10 p.m. ET
Matchday 10United States vs. Costa Rica , 8 p.m. ET
Trinidad & Tobago vs. Mexico, 8 p.m. ET
El Salvador vs. Honduras, 8 p.m. ET
TO REACH THE PROMISED LAND: In order to secure a top-three finish in CONCACAF and an automatic berth to the FIFA World Cup on Matchday 9, the U.S. has to equal or exceed the number of points that Costa Rica earns hosting Trinidad & Tobago, which can be accomplished the following ways:
1. A U.S. win (with any Costa Rica result)
2. A Costa Rica loss (with any U.S. result)
3. A U.S. tie with a Costa Rica tie or loss
Note: If the U.S. fails to qualify on Matchday 9, the U.S. would qualify on the final match against Costa Rica with a win or tie. Or, if Costa Rica ties Trinidad & Tobago on Matchday 9, the U.S. could still qualify on Matchday 10 with a loss against Costa Rica if the U.S. retains a favorable goal differential.
Note 2: If the U.S. loses both games, they can still qualify ahead of Costa Rica, Honduras or Mexico depending on other results and goal difference, although several of the scenarios are unlikely (two Mexico losses and an El Salvador rout of Honduras by at least nine goals)
TO KEEP AN EYE ON: While a lot of variables still remain to determine which teams will represent CONCACAF at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, consider these facts for the U.S. heading into the final two games:
El Salvador avoided elimination on the last matchday by virtue of their dramatic injury time winner against Costa Rica . El Salvador can still obtain a top three place, but they would need to win both of their games and get help from other teams. Trinidad & Tobago was eliminated with their loss against the USA on Sept. 9.
In the previous two World Cup cycles, the third place team qualified for the World Cup with 16 points in 2006, and 17 points in 2002.
The U.S. finished in third place during the 2002 cycle, qualifying on Matchday 9 with a 2-1 victory on Oct. 7, 2001, against Jamaica . In the 2006 cycle, the U.S. booked their ticket in the seventh game of the 10-match round-robin, earning a comprehensive 2-0 win against Mexico on Sept. 3, 2005, in Columbus .
TIE-BREAKERS: With the end of qualifying looming, now is a good time to refresh the system of tiebreakers used to separate teams in the standings. The ranking in each hexagonal is determined as follows:
1. greatest number of points obtained in all group matches;
2. goal difference in all group matches;
3. greatest number of goals scored in all group matches.
If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings will be determined as follows:
4. greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
5. goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned;
6. greatest number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned;
7. drawing of lots by the FIFA Organizing Committee.
QUICK HITS
The U.S. travels to San Pedro Sula with 22 players. After being named to the squad, Clint Dempsey suffered a shoulder sprain in his latest league match with Fulham and will not travel to Honduras . Two-time World Cup veteran Frankie Hejduk was added to the training camp roster Tuesday.
There are no suspended U.S. players heading into Saturday evening's match. Honduras captain Amado Guevara and Elvis Turcios are suspended for the hosts. See below for a full disciplinary report.
The U.S. has a lifetime record of 10-2-3 against Honduras , with a 3-1-1 record in World Cup qualifying. The teams have met four times on Honduran soil dating back to 1965, with only one meeting in the last 15 years. The U.S. is 2-1-1 in those encounters.
The USA 's last trip to Honduras came in 2001, when goals from Earnie Stewart and Clint Mathis helped the U.S. to a 2-1 victory on March 28, 2001, in San Pedro Sula in the second match of final round qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Steve Cherundolo is the only player on the current roster to appear in that game, earning only his second cap for the United States .
The U.S. is 4-3-1 on the road overall in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.
Honduras is 8-0-0 at home in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, the same record as the United States , earning five shutouts in the process.
The team last played at least two consecutive road qualifiers during a stretch in 2008 where the team played three games abroad. On June 22, 2008, the team defeated Barbados 1-0 in the second leg of the second round of FIFA World Cup qualifying. The USA then opened the semifinal round with two games on the road: a 1-0 victory against Guatemala in Guatemala City on Aug. 20, 2008 – their first win on Guatemalan soil in more than 20 years – and a 1-0 win against Cuba on Sept. 6 in Havana .
Nine players on the U.S. roster for Saturday's game started in the last World Cup qualifier against Honduras on June 6, 2009, at Soldier Field. Goals from Landon Donovan and Carlos Bocanegra helped the USA to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory against Los Catrachos.
That match marked a return to national team duty for Benny Feilhaber, with the midfielder coming on as a halftime sub to make his first appearance for Bob Bradley's team in more than year.
Landon Donovan leads all U.S. scorers with three career goals against Honduras , while four other players have also tallied against the Central American side: Bocanegra, Brian Ching, and defenders Clarence Goodson and Oguchi Onyewu.
Onyewu scored his first national team goal against Honduras , a game-winner in the 92nd minute that sent the U.S. into the final of the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup against Panama .
Goodson's goal against Honduras came in remarkably similar circumstances: it was the defender's first national team goal, it was a header, it was a game-winner and it sent the USA on its way to the CONCACAF Gold Cup final (albeit four years later in 2009).
With his goal in the 2-1 win against El Salvador on Sept. 5 in Sandy , Utah , Jozy Altidore remained the USA ’s leading scorer in the 2010 qualifying cycle with six goals. Dempsey moved into second place on the list with his game-tying goal that day, now on five goals scored.
Ricardo Clark scored his first World Cup qualifying goal in the most recent game for the USA . The midfielder's 25-yard drive proved the game-winning goal against Trinidad & Tobago on Sept. 9 in Port-of-Spain that delivered the U.S. their first road win in the final round.
Donovan, the USA 's all-time assists leader with 41 total, set up Clark's goal in Trinidad . It was the third consecutive goal in qualifying where he has lent a hand, having served up assists to Dempsey and Altidore in the 2-1 win against El Salvador four days earlier.
Donovan has contributed to 10 of the USA ’s 14 goals in the final round of qualifying, tallying two goals and eight assists.
Donovan now has nine assists in 2009, tied with Cobi Jones’ record of nine in one calendar year for the United States .
Michael Bradley, Bocanegra, Dempsey and Donovan have started 13 out of 14 qualifiers this cycle. Donovan has the most minutes in qualifying (1,160), with Bocanegra (1,150) and Bradley (1,145) close behind.
Stuart Holden made his World Cup qualifying debut when he came on as a sub in the game at Estadio Azteca. He reprised that role in the 2-1 win against El Salvador and the 1-0 victory against T & T.
Tim Howard, who earned the Golden Glove award in South Africa as the tournament’s best goalkeeper, has eight shutouts in 14 career World Cup qualifiers. Three of those clean sheets have come against T & T, a pair of 3-0 victories and last month's win in Port-of-Spain.
Howard earned his 28th career win against Trinidad , surpassing Brad Friedel (27) and gaining sole possession of third all-time behind Kasey Keller (53) and Tony Meola (37).
In 13 games in 2009, Altidore has recorded six goals without also registering an assist, the most goals without a helper since Frank Klopas scored eight times without adding an assist to his stat sheet in 1994.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Average Age: 26.1 Average Caps: 32.6
Most Caps: 118 (Landon Donovan) Fewest Caps: 6 (Clarence Goodson, Robbie Rogers, José Francisco Torres
Oldest: 35 (Frankie Hejduk) Youngest: 19 (Jozy Altidore)
Play professionally in: USA (9), England (4), Germany (3), France (2), Denmark (1), Italy (1), Mexico (1), Norway (1)
PROCEED WITH CAUTION: Eight players on the U.S. roster are carrying cautions into the match, meaning their next yellow card will trigger a one-game suspension. Honduras has four players in the same situation:
USA Honduras
Jozy Altidore Osman Chavez
Carlos Bocanegra Carlo Costly
Conor Casey Julio César León
Steve Cherundolo Ramon Nuñez
Ricardo Clark
Landon Donovan
Benny Feilhaber
Frankie Hejduk
FAMILIAR FOES: Honduras has proven a frequent foil for Bob Bradley's side in one of the busiest years of all time for the U.S. Men's National Team. The game on Saturday will mark the fourth time the teams have met in international competitions in 2009, a record for a United States opponent. Even more interesting was the proximity of the first three meetings, which took place in a 47-day span during the USA 's incredibly busy summer which took them from Central America to the United States to the Confederations Cup and back for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
2009 U.S. Games against Honduras
Date
Competition
Result
U.S. Goal Scorers
Venue
June 6
2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
2-1 W
Donovan, Bocanegra
Soldier Field, Chicago , Ill.
July 8
CONCACAF Gold Cup
2-0 W
Quaranta, Ching
RFK Stadium, Washington , D.C.
July 23
CONCACAF Gold Cup
2-0 W
Goodson, Cooper
Soldier Field, Chicago , Ill.
GAME-WINNERS: With his goal against El Salvador , Jozy Altidore became the fourth U.S. player to record multiple game-winning goals in this World Cup cycle. Michael Bradley has a pair of game-winners to his credit, including the brilliant flick against T & T on Sept. 10, 2008, in the 3-0 win in Bridgeview , Ill. , and both goals in the 2-0 win against Mexico on Feb. 11 in Columbus . Carlos Bocanegra headed home the lone goal in the 1-0 win on Aug. 20, 2008, at Guatemala to open the semifinal round, then repeated the feat to help the U.S. past Honduras on June 6 in Chicago. Clint Dempsey recorded two game-winning goals in World Cup qualifying last year – against Barbados on June 15, 2008, in Carson , Calif. , and in the 1-0 win on Sept. 6, 2008, in Cuba . Overall, eight U.S. scorers have GWG next to their name on the scoresheet in this cycle.
RALLY CAPS: The come from behind win against El Salvador marked the second consecutive home qualifier the U.S. has erased a deficit to take three points. On June 6 in Chicago , goals by Landon Donovan and Carlos Bocanegra nullified an early strike by Carlo Costly. The U.S. staged a different kind of comeback on March 28 in El Salvador when Frankie Hejduk had a goal and an assist to earn a 2-2 draw in El Salvador . The rally marked the first time that the team had faced and erased a two-goal deficit on the road. The USA ’s previous two-goal comeback came Oct. 8, 1995, at RFK Stadium, when the U.S. spotted Saudi Arabia three goals in 29 minutes until a four-goal rally culminated in a goal by Roy Lassiter to lift the U.S. to a stunning 4-3 victory.
DEJA VU – WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF? Matchday 9 of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan was filled with some amazing twists and turns that came together to send the U.S. team to Asia . Now in similar circumstances, the U.S. could qualify for South Africa if results around the hexagonal go the USA 's way. Revisit an exciting day of qualifying from eight years ago with ussoccer.com's look at the culmination of the road to the 2002 World Cup
FRIENDLY CONFINES: If you have ever discounted the importance of winning games at home, the CONCACAF 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying standings should make you sit up and take notice. Of the top four teams, only Costa Rica is not a perfect 8-0-0 at home during the road to South Africa . As a result of their improbable loss to Mexico at Estadio Saprissa, Los Ticos are on the outside looking in at an automatic berth to the World Cup.
LD SNATCHES ANOTHER RECORD: Landon Donovan holds numerous records for the U.S. Men's National Team, and last month he set another. Donovan surpassed former teammates and national team standouts Kasey Keller, Eddie Pope, and Claudio Reyna when he started against El Salvador on Sept. 5, and took his total appearances in World Cup qualifying to 33 when he played the full 90 minutes against Trinidad & Tobago on Sept. 9.
World Cup Qualifying All-Time Appearances
Name Apps. Era
1. Landon Donovan 33 2000-2009
2. Kasey Keller 31 1990-2007
Eddie Pope 31 1996-2006
Claudio Reyna 31 1994-2006
5. Cobi Jones 30 1992-2004
Earnie Stewart 30 1990-2004
7. Jeff Agoos 26 1988-2003
DaMarcus Beasley 26 2001-2009
9. Brian McBride 25 1993-2006
GAME NO. 21 ON THE WORLD TOUR: Saturday’s match represents the 21st international for the U.S. team in 2009, and the 20th game in official competition, which is already the most ever in a calendar year (the previous record was 16 in 2005). The U.S. holds a record of 12-6-2 through the first seven months of the year, scoring 37 goals, surrendering 28, and earning eight shutouts with three different goalkeepers. There have been four games against teams in the top 10 in the world (Spain, Brazil twice, and Italy), the first erasure of a two-goal deficit to earn at le ast a point in 13 years (against El Salvador in March), two come-from-behind wins at home (against Honduras and El Salvador), and consecutive appearances in international tournament finals (FIFA Confederations Cup and CONCACAF Gold Cup).
INTO THE NEXT 50: Since January of 2007 it has been the charge of U.S. head coach Bob Bradley to achieve the most important goal of any soccer playing nation: qualification for the FIFA World Cup. With 52 games under his belt, seeing 85 different players at least once and the process of reaching South Africa in 2010 coming to a climax, a review of the body of work during the past nearly-three years points to the U.S. clearly heading in the right direction. Bradley’s 31 victories in 50 games outdistanced his predecessor Bruce Arena, who had collected 25 victories at that point in his tenure. Since the start of the four-year cycle, the U.S. has:
produced the best finish ever at a FIFA tournament, finishing second at the FIFA Confederations Cup.
won six straight FIFA World Cup qualifiers in a row in 2008, a new team record (June 15-Oct. 15).
won the CONCACAF Gold Cup title in 2007 to qualify for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
won by the largest margin of victory in U.S. World Cup qualifying history (8-0 vs. Barbados on June 15, 2008).
won back-to-back games in Europe for the first time in team history (Oct. 17, 2007 @ Switzerland and March 26, 2008 @ Poland ).
won three straight matches on the road for the first time in team history (Oct. 17, 2007 @ Switzerland , Nov. 17, 2007 @ South Africa and March 26, 2008 @ Poland).
played seven matches against four teams ranked in the top five in the world at the time they stepped on the field against them (Argentina, Brazil-3, Italy, Spain-2).
played matches on four continents.
posted 1-1-1 record against No. 1-ranked teams, including a semifinal upset of Spain at the FIFA Confederations Cup.
THE BRADLEY BREAKDOWN
Record
All-Time: 33-14-5
Qualifying: 12-3-1
Gold Cup: 10-1-1
Goals For: 98
Goals Against: 57
Shutouts: 22
Record vs. …
CONCACAF: 23-4-4, 60 GF, 26 GA
CONMEBOL: 1-6-1, 9 GF, 19 GA
UEFA: 6-4-0, 15 GF, 10 GA
AFC: 1-0-0, 4 GF, 1 GA
CAF: 2-0-0, 4 GF, 0 GA
Record when …
Leading at half: 21-2-2
Losing at half: 2-4-1
Tied at half: 10-8-2
STARTING ANEW: Before losing to Mexico in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final, the U.S. had gone 58 games without losing to a CONCACAF opponent on home soil. On Sept. 5 against El Salvador , the USA started a new streak by grabbing their first win, but here's a look back at the 58-game unbeaten run stretching more than eight years. During the run the U.S. went 7-0-0 against Honduras , with three wins coming in 2009 alone.
2001: 1-0-0; 2 GF, 1 GA
2002: 7-0-1; 19 GF, 0 GA (8 clean sheets)
2003: 5-0-1; 16 GF, 2 GA (5)
2004: 5-0-2; 17 GF, 2 GA (5)
2005: 10-0-2; 22 GF, 4 GA (9)
2006: 1-0-2; 5 GF, 1 GA (2)
2007: 7-0-1; 15 GF, 3 GA (4)
2008: 4-0-1; 21 GF, 3 GA (3)
2009: 7-0-1; 19 GF, 5 GA (5)
Total: 47-0-11; 136 GF, 21 GA (41 clean sheets)
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Ricardo Clark became the USA 's 15th different scorer in 2010 World Cup Qualifying when he netted the game winner on Sept. 9 in Trinidad & Tobago. Clark's goal made him the first unique U.S. goalscorer since Frankie Hejduk tallied against El Salvador in March. Hejduk joined Carlos Bocanegra (2) and Oguchi Onyewu (1) as the other defenders to score in qualifying. Jozy Altidore leads all scorers (6), with Clint Dempsey (5) right behind him. Michael Bradley (4), Brian Ching (4) and Landon Donovan (4) have found the net with some frequency, while Charlie Davies (2) and DaMarcus Beasley (2) have also registered multiple goals. Also on the score sheet with one goal each are Freddy Adu, Kenny Cooper, Eddie Johnson and Eddie Lewis, who made his goal count as the game-winner on June 22, 2008, against Barbados . Clark was also the 18th different player to score in 2009, matching the record number of different goal scorers set by the U.S. team in 1993 and 2000.
BY THE NUMBERS: U.S. IN WORLD CUP QUALIFYING
0 – Losses at home in qualifying under Bob Bradley
1 – Player on the roster who played for the USA the last time the team traveled to Honduras : Steve Cherundolo.
6 – Goals by Jozy Altidore in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, good for the team lead
9 – Total clean sheets kept by Tim Howard and Brad Guzan out of 14 games
11 - Goals for Landon Donovan in World Cup qualifying, the USA 's all-time leader
42 – Players with at least one appearance in 2010 World Cup qualifying
TICKETS ON SALE FOR FINAL MATCHDAY IN WASHINGTON D.C. : Tickets for the U.S. Men's National Team's final home qualifier of the 2010 FIFA World Cup cycle are on sale now at ussoccer.com. The USA will take on Costa Rica on Oct. 14 at RFK Stadium in Washington , D.C. in the last game of the final round of qualifying. The United States has a perfect 8-0-0 record in home qualifiers and will try to keep up the run as they meet Los Ticos in what could be a deciding game for a place in the World Cup.
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: Keep up with all U.S. Men’s National Team news (in short form, of course) by following at www.twitter.com/ussoccer.
U.S. SOCCER ON FACEBOOK: U.S. Soccer is offering a new way to follow its teams with the “Official U.S. Soccer Page” on Facebook. Visit the page to post videos, interact with other fans and follow the latest news from all U.S. Soccer teams. The new Official U.S. Soccer Page on Facebook is the best place to keep with your favorite teams and make your voice heard in the U.S. Soccer community.
THE GAME IS IN US: Support for United States ' bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022 has picked up some serious steam since the launch of http://gousabid.com. Twelve other nations are bidding to host at least one of the tournaments and if we're going to win the honor of hosting the FIFA World Cup™, it'll be because of the overwhelming grassroots support of soccer fans who believe in our bid's official theme, The Game Is In US. Please take a moment to sign the petition to officially show your support for the US bid to bring the World Cup™ back to America .
IN FOCUS: HONDURAS
HONDURAS FACT FILE
Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras
Founded: 1951 (Joined FIFA the same year)
Head Coach: Reinaldo Rueda (Colombia)
Best World Cup Finish: First Round, 1982
Best CONCACAF Gold Cup Finish: Runner-up, 1991
Caps Leader: Amada Guevara (127)
Top Scorer: Carlos Pavon (55)
Key Players: Carlo Costly, Wilson Palacios, David Suazo
ON THE VERGE: Honduras is within touching distance of their first trip to the World Cup since 1982. An unblemished home record (8-0-0 in 2010 World Cup qualifying) has been a large part of Los Catrachos' march towards South Africa and Reinaldo Rueda's men can complete a perfect home performance with a win against the USA. The home crowd in San Pedro Sula will be in a frenzied mood as Honduras goes for its first victory against the USA in four attempts in 2009.
CALLING 'EM IN: Rueda has summoned 24 players into camp, with 10 players coming from clubs abroad. Team captain Amado Guevara is suspended for the game against the United States , but the 2004 MLS MVP is joined by a growing contingent of players in Europe that includes Wilson Palacios at Tottenham Hotspur. The combative midfielder is winning admirers in England where his all-action style has fit well into the Premier League. In the same league, fullback Maynor Figueroa has solidified his place at Wigan Athletic where he's recently been joined by compatriot Hendry Thomas. Dangerous striker David Suazo plays under Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan, while Edgard Álvarez and Julio César Leon also play in Italy 's Serie A with Bari and Parma , respectively. Rueda has called on his fair share of domestic based players as well, with five players coming from current Honduran champions Olimpia. That includes defender Jonny Palacios, brother of Carlos and Wilson, who was added as a late replacement for the injured Victor "Muma" Bernárdez.
Honduras Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (3): Noel Valladares (Olimpia), Donis Escober (Olimpia), Ricardo Canales (Motagua)
DEFENDERS (8): Osman Chávez (Platense), Maynor Figueroa (Wigan Athletic), Boniek García (Olimpia), Emilio Izaguirre (Motagua), Erick Norales (Marathón), Carlos Palacios (Real España), Jonny Palacios (Olimpia) Mauricio Sabillón (Marathón)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Edgard Álvarez ( Bari ), Julio César León ( Parma ) Ramón Núñez (Cruz Azul), Amado Guevara ( Toronto FC), Wilson Palacios (Tottenham Hotspur), Hendry Thomas ( Wigan Athletic), Danilo Turcios (Olimpia), Melvin Valladares (Real España)
FORWARDS (5): Carlos Pavón (Real España), Carlo Costly (Belchatow), Walter Martínez (Marathón), Jerry Palacios (Marathón), David Suazo (Inter Milán)
LAST TIME…
On the field for USA in World Cup qualifying
Sept. 9, 2009 – Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad – 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, Final Round, Matchday 8
USA 1 Ricardo Clark 63
Trinidad & Tobago 0
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 2-Jonathan Spector, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.), 12-Jonathan Bornstein; 8-Clint Dempsey (7-Stuart Holden, 82), 13-Ricardo Clark, 4-Michael Bradley, 10-Landon Donovan; 9-Charlie Davies (11-Brian Ching, 77), 17-Jozy Altidore (16-Benny Feilhaber, 63)
Subs not used: 6-Steve Cherundolo, 14-Jose Francisco Torres, 15-Chad Marshall , 18-Brad Guzan
Head Coach: Bob Bradley
TRI: 1-Clayton Ince; 11-Carlos Edwards, 3-Radanfa Abu Bakr, 6-Dennis Lawrence (capt.), 4-Jlloyd Samuel; 10-Hayden Tinto (12-Keon Daniel, 66), 2-Clyde Leon, 8-Trent Noel (9-Jason Scotland, 84), 16-Silvio Spann (14-Kerry Baptiste, 72); 13-Cornell Glen, 17-Kenwyne Jones
Subs not used: 5-Keyeno Thomas, 7-Densil Theobald, 15-Lyndon Andrews, 18-Marvin Philip
Head Coach: Russell Latapy
On the field for Honduras in World Cup qualifying
Sept. 9, 2009 – Estadio Azteca , Mexico City, Mexico – 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, Final Round, Matchday 8
Mexico 1 Cuauhtemoc Blanco 76 (pen)
Honduras 0
MEX: 1-Guillermo Ochoa; 2-Jonny Magallon, 3-Carlos Salcido, 5-Ricardo Osorio, 8-Israel Castro, 10-Cuauhtemoc Blanco (capt.), 14-Miguel Sabah (9-Juan Carlos Cacho, 71), 15-Jose Castro (11-Pablo Barrera, 62), 16-Efrain Juarez, 17-Giovani dos Santos (13-Oscar Rojas, 80), 18-Andres Guardado
Subs not used: 4-Aaron Galindo, 6-Hector Moreno , 7-Nery Castillo, 12-Jose Corona
Head Coach: Javier Aguirre
HON: 18-Noel Valladares; 2-Osman Chavez, 3-Maynor Figueroa, 7-Amado Guevara (capt.), 8-Wilson Palacios, 9-Carlos Pavon, 11-Ramon Nunez, 12-Emilio Izaguirre, 15-David Suazo (13-Carlo Costly, 59), 16-Mauricio Sabillon (14-Oscar Garcia, 46), 17-Elvis Turcios
Subs not used: 1-Donis Escober, 4-Melvin Valladares, 5-Victor Bernardez, 6-Walter Martinez
Head Coach: Reinaldo Rueda
On the field vs. Honduras in World Cup qualifying
June 6, 2009 – Soldier Field, Chicago , Ill. – 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, Final Round, Matchday 4
USA 2 Landon Donovan 43 (pen), Carlos Bocanegra 68
HONDURAS 1 Carlo Costly 5
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 12-Jonathan Spector, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.) (14-Jay DeMerit, 71), 13-Jonathan Bornstein; 8-Clint Dempsey, 2 -Ricardo Clark, 4-Pablo Mastroeni (9-Benny Feilhaber, 46), 10-Landon Donovan; 11-Conor Casey (7-DaMarcus Beasley, 75), 17-Jozy Altidore
Subs not used: 18-Brad Guzan, 6-Marvell Wynne, 15-Charlie Davies, 16-Sacha Kljestan
Head Coach: Bob Bradley
HON: 18-Noel Vallardes; 14-Mauricio Sabillon, 2-Osman Chavez, 6-Mario Beata, 3-Maynor Figueroa; 13-Carlo Costly, 7-Amado Guevara (capt.), 4-Hendry Thomas, 10-Ramon Nunez (15-Walter Martinez, 79); 9-Carlos Pavon (16-Georgie Welcome, 67), 8-Wilson Palacios (17-Danilo Turcios, 66)
Subs not used: 1-Junior Morales, 5-Erick Norales, 11-Allan Lalin, 12-Emilio Izaguirre
Head Coach: Reinaldo Rueda
On the field in Honduras :
March 28, 2001 – Estadio Olimpico, San Pedro Sula , Honduras – 2001 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, Final Round, Matchday 3
Honduras 1 Julio Cesar de Leon 59
USA 2 Earnie Stewart 32, Clint Mathis 87
HON: 22-Noel Valladares; 24-Ninrod Medina , 2-Ivan Guerrero, 3-Reinaldo Clavasquin (10-Julio Cesar de Leon , 45), 4-Samuel Caballero; 20-Amado Guevara, 8-Jose Pineda (12-Maynor Suazo, 78), 16-Christian Santamaria (18-Jairo Martinez , 45); 5-Milton Reyes, 9-Carlos Pavon, 11-Milton Nunez
Subs: 1-Junior Morales, 6-Jaime Rosales, 15-Ricky Garcia, 17-Javier Martinez
Head Coach: Ramon Maradiaga
USA: 1-Brad Friedel; 2-Steve Cherundolo, 6-David Regis, 12-Jeff Agoos, 16-Carlos Llamosa; 5-Clint Mathis (3-Gregg Berhalter, 87) 14-Chris Armas, 8-Earnie Stewart, 22-Tony Sanneh; 15-Josh Wolff (20-Chris Albright, 67), 11-Ante Razov (13-Cobi Jones, 70)
Subs: 7-Eddie Lewis, 9-Preki Radosavljevic, 18-Kasey Keller, 21-Richie Williams
Head Coach: Bruce Arena
No comments:
Post a Comment