As the USA vs Honduras match ended 1-0 in favor of the Americans, you could hear fans at Rio Tinto Stadium chanting “We are going to Brazil!”. The fans are right to sing, with this victory over Honduras (third qualifying win in June), USA is now in command of the Hexagonal with 13 points. Another win would put the USA in Brazil- with 4 matches still at play, a spot in the World Cup is all but guaranteed.
Honduras came into Rio Tinto Stadium with the hopes of grinding out a 0-0 draw and a valuable point. Their offense was non-existent, putting 11 men behind the ball, not knowing what to do on the rare occasion they controlled the ball. And it almost worked.
The USA had few scoring opportunities in the first half, running up against the tough Honduran defense over and over. The USA vs Honduras game was looking as though it would end in a Mexican style (Chepo era) 0-0 draw at home. However, Altidore would have none of that, and scored from a shot inside the box in the 73rd minute. Once the USA scored, everyone knew it was all over.
Honduras tried to get back into it, moving men forward, but with Costly out injured in the first half, the Hondurans were missing a key component of their offense. In the last 20 minutes, Honduras never threatened the America goal, and in fact allowed the US more scoring opportunities. The USA vs Honduras match ended in a 1-0 victory for Klinsmann’s guys, thus ending a perfect June for the USMNT: 3 for 3.
Honduras remains with 7 points in the 4th spot, trailing Mexico by 1 point. They will have to win their remaining home matches against Panama and Costa Rica if they want a direct spot in the World Cup. If the Hexagonal were to end today, the Hondurans would be headed to an Intercontinental Qualifier against New Zealand.
On the other hand, the USMNT are just one win away from ensuring a spot in Brazil. The USA vs Honduras 1-0 victory was huge, rounding off a perfect June for the Americans. “We are going to Brazil! We are going to Brazil” indeed.
