USA vs. Honduras: Adjustments Honduras Must Make to Avoid Another Loss to USMNT

The United States and Honduras squared off in a World Cup qualifying match on June 18, and while the Honduran side played a tremendous match, it wasn’t enough to avoid a 1-0 USA victory.

Now, as both teams close in on a Gold Cup finals berth, Honduras will have to make some adjustments to avoid a similar defeat on Wednesday—especially with the United States men’s national team coming off its ninth straight victory.

The USMNT is in top form, propelled of late by the triumphant return of Landon Donovan. The team’s all-time leading goalscorer has been terrific since ending his four-plus-month absence from the national team, and he has provided the United States’ attack with a new element in its quest for another Gold Cup championship.

Donovan hasn’t skipped a beat, and paired with the pure scoring skills of Chris Wondolowski, it’s going to take a huge effort from Honduras to derail the United States’ bid for a fifth Gold Cup title.

Let’s take a look at the factors that resulted in Honduras’ 1-0 World Cup qualifying loss—as well as their Gold Cup performance to this point—and break down what it must do to avoid a similar letdown on Wednesday.

Early Momentum

Honduras was undermanned in its last match against the United States, and the result was an inability to capitalize on sluggish play in the early going on the part of the Americans.

In that match, the United States showed a serious lack of energy and a general inability to find the net, despite some early pressure in the final third. Honduras did its best to stem the tide and keep the United States off the board, but it never managed to get much going on the counterattack.

The Americans haven’t been short on scoring opportunities in the Gold Cup, and while that doesn’t bode well for Honduras, it does give it a chance to wait for an opportunity to capitalize on major mistakes.

If Honduras can play stout defense in the early going—as it did in their last meeting—and show the ability to threaten on the counterattack, the United States will have to curb its aggression to prevent major mistakes in transition.

The Numbers Game

Prior to Honduras’ last loss to the Americans, the two teams squared off in February for another World Cup qualifying tilt that ended in a 2-1 Honduras victory.

In that match, Honduras maintained 57 percent possession and dominated the action in the midfield.

Granted, this incarnation of the USMNT is a far cry from the unit it fielded in that contest, but the principles remain the same. As good as the United States has been on the attack in recent matches, Honduras has to find a way to slow the pace and keep the American side on its heels.

Slowing the United States in the final third is no easy task—especially with Donovan playing some tremendous facilitative soccer at the moment—but Honduras can slow that momentum by focusing extra attention on maintaining possession and slowing the tempo, even if it means showing a little less aggression on the attack.

Counterattack chances will be plentiful for Honduras, and the USMNT has been known to make some costly mistakes at midfield. If Honduras is patient, the result will likely be at least one terrific opportunity to flip the pitch and capitalize on a big mistake.

The Bottom Line

Honduras has little chance to win this match without playing its best football. As simple as that sounds, a lot has to go right if the Hondurans hope to notch a finals berth.

Strategy and focus are crucial, but it all comes down to execution and limiting costly mental mistakes. As quoted in an Associated Press report (via Yahoo! Sports), Honduras coach Luis Fernando Suarez knows what his side is up against:

"

We're conscious of what's upon us. It's going to be a difficult game. The U.S. is a team that has great optimism. They've played games where the US has shown great superiority over its rivals.

"

It may seem simplistic, but the bottom line is this: Honduras has to forget about its past competitions with the United States and focus on its own winning brand of football. It got to this point by doing the little things well, and the same will have to hold true if Honduras is to notch a win in this semifinals showdown.