2010 World Cup Group H Preview: Honduras
By Ty Duffy
“God has a sense of humor. If you don’t believe me, tomorrow go to wal-mart and just look at people.” – Carlos Mencia
The Hondurans qualified for their first World Cup since 1982. They did draw host-nation Spain that year, but lost the other two matches and were eliminated from the group. Honduras will hope to improve on their last visit to the world stage, but that prospect is nebulous. Honduras seldom play outside CONCACAF, and CONCACAF competition is not very good. No one knows how they will fare. They could be surprise contenders who emerge from the group. They could also be one of the worst teams traveling to South Africa.
Form: Honduras edged Costa Rica for CONCACAF’s third automatic place on goal difference. They finished with a 5-4-1 record. They lost three out of four to Mexico and the United States, but were competitive. The Hondurans have not distinguished themselves in full-squad friendlies, losing 2-0 to Turkey, at home to Peru, drawing Belarus and Azerbijan and losing 3-0 to Romania.
Tactics: Honduras are missionary position with the lights off tactically. They won’t surprise anyone. They played a straight 4-4-2 during qualifying, but look like they will play a 4-5-1 for the tournament. They need to cover a flimsy defense. They also have more depth at attacking midfielder than up front.
Squad: Olimpia goalkeeper Noel Valladares played every minute during Honduras’ qualifying campaign. That wasn’t helpful. Wigan’s Maynor Figueroa and Anderlicht’s Victor Bernardez will be paired in central midfield. They will field an attacking left back with Honduras-based Emilio Izaguirre. Steroid cheat Sergio Mendoza, fresh off a year’s suspension, will reclaim his place at right back.
Wilson Palacios is Honduras’ best player. He’s a marauding ball-winner who was pivotal for Tottenham’s Champions League qualification. He should be joined in the middle by captain and longtime MLS playmaker Amado Guevara. They will be joined by U.S. raised Ramon Nunez and two Serie A vets, Edgar Alvarez and free-kick specialist Julio Cesar De Leon, whose nickname is “Rambo.”
David Suazo gives Honduras an effective finisher up front. He looked like a bonafide star in 2007. Having scored 40 goals for Cagliari the previous two seasons, he had Inter Milan and A.C. Milan fighting for him. However, he had a disappointing first year, scoring just eight goals in 36 appearances and was loaned away twice under Jose Mourinho. Carlo Costly scored six goals during qualifying and presented an intriguing combination of size and agility, unfortunately he will miss out after breaking a bone in his foot.
Prediction: Hondruas has decent attacking options, but are very shaky defensively. Unless Wilson Palacios puts in a “player of the tournament” level performance it is hard to see them advancing. They play Spain second, so if they don’t get a result in the first match against Chile, they will be eliminated.
Interesting Fact: Two hundred thousand Honduras state employees were given the morning off to watch Honduras play their first match against Chile.
[Photo via Getty]
Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece
Group C: England, United States, Slovenia, Algeria
Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana
Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile