Honduras (National Football)

In a match similar to a pitcher's duel in baseball, Honduras goalkeeper Noel Valladares and Costa Rica's goalkeeper Keylor Navas gave us a goalkeepers classic.

As a result Honduras eliminated Costa Rica from the Gold Cup when "Los Catrachos" won 4-2 in penalty kicks.

Despite allowing a goal in the second half, both goalkeepers played well enough to give their teams the opportunity to win. After 90 minutes of soccer, the score ended 1-1. Both valiantly played well for an additional 30 minutes (two 15-minutes halves), but the score remained 1-1.

It was in the penalty kicks where Honduras was finally able to secure a win. Their kickers converted all four attempts, opposed to Costa Rica's two successful conversions.

As a result, Honduras advanced to the semifinals. They will now face Mexico, who had rallied to win 2-1 over Guatemala at Reliant Stadium in Houston on Wednesday, June 22nd.

Honduras' victory marked the third time that they have won over Costa Rica at the Gold Cup. Los Catrachos previously won in the 1991 semifinals and the 2005 quarterfinals.

However, Honduras was very fortunate that they were able to advance on Saturday.

They clearly dominated the first half and moved the ball well, appearing to be the aggressor. Despite a 12-4 shots on goal advantage, however, Los Catrachos were unable to capitalize on their opportunities to produce a goal.

In the second half, Jerry Bengston gave Honduras a 1-0 lead in the 49th minute. He accepted a pass from teammate Javier Portillo, who seconds earlier forced Costa Rica's GK Navas to cover him. His shot ricocheted off Navas leg to Bengston, who easily hammered the ball in.

Minutes later, Costa Rica brilliantly tied the game off a corner kick. Los Ticos Dennis Marshall headed in the equalizer in the 56th minute of the game.

Building off their goal, Costa Rica gained momentum.

In the 75th minute, Alvaro Saborio had the opportunity to give Los Ticos a 2-1 advantage when his team was awarded a penalty kick. Despite the stalling tactics of Honduras' GK & Captain Noel Valladares (who was given a yellow card), Saborio appeared calm and ready to give his teammates the lead.

He took his shot and it was successfully blocked by Valladares, who dove to his right to block the penalty kick.

"The PK save was able to help us mentally and emotionally, and we were able to finish off the match with a win," said Valladares, who accepted the caution because he needed to "distract the kicker."

Following the penalty kick, neither team was able to score again in regulation or extra time.

Ironically, it was in the penalty area where Honduras' Bengston and Costa Rica's Saborio symbolized the "Hero and the Goat." With an opportunity to redeem himself and keep Los Ticos in the game, Saborio missed his second penalty kick of the match. 

With Honduras' destiny literally in his leg, Bengston—who had given his teammates a 1-0 lead in the second half—hammered home his penalty kick for the win.

As teammates mobbed Bengston, it was assured that they will now face Mexico—where a win would guarantee them in the Gold Cup 2011 Final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

"Of the five games I've coached this team, this has been the most complete performance," Honduran coach Luis Fernando Suarez said. "It's been a constant growth. In the beginning it was difficult to manage the ball and keep the ball. But I think afterward the team was able to achieve a rhythm."

With little time to make adjustments, it'll be interesting if Honduras will be able to capitalize on their opportunities against a favored-Mexican team.

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press & USSoccerPlayers.com ; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

Though Motagua left Victoria scoreless in the Honduran League game, Victoria remains the leader of the division.

Gustavo Alvarado started the game by scoring the first goal in 12 seconds, courtesy of an assist from Carlos Cruz via Shannon Welcome.

Carlos Cruz was in the right area of the field when Welcome received the ball, who then passed it to Alvarado for the goal which he netted in on the left side of the goal post.

Gustavo Alvarado repeated the same tactic to score the second goal in the 65th minute of the game off an assist from Georgie Welcome.

Luis Guzman received a pass from Georgie Welcome and kicked the ball with his left foot into the net to score goal number three within 67 minutes.

The rest of the game consisted of Victoria attempting to regain control without success. Unfortunately, they were no match for the rapid play and discipline of Motagua.

While Motagua played a good game, they committed an offense which should have been red carded: Luis Guzman kicked his opponent Victor Ortiz in the head.

The referee apparently looked the other way and did not punish Guzman who was allowed to continue to play.

In another place and time, Guzman would have been expelled. In another offense (which should have been a yellow card), Donaldo Morales played outside of the area.

Victoria remains in first place in the Honduran League with 32 points despite the loss, which is four points more than Marathon and Real Espana.

The final score was 3-0 in favor of Motagua, and Georgie Welcome and Gustavo Alvarado were the most valued players.

The venerable clubs CD Marathon and Hispano faced each other in one of the toughest games in the Honduran League. The game took place in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

CD Marathon was the visiting team from San Pedro Sula in the same country.

In the first half of the game, Hispano dominated the game with its discipline and tenacity while Marathon was trying to play catch up.

The first goal of the game was made possible by Hector "La Tanqueta" Flores, whose direct kick drove the ball into the center of the net to the chagrin of the goalkeeper from Marathon.

This ocurred within 20 minutes and was followed by another direct kick by Victor Morales within 43 minutes.

It appeared as though Hispano was going to shut out CD Marathon, but things changed in the second half.

Hispano became overconfident and lost its dominance of the game to CD Marathon. CD Marathon was the one that was disciplined and with a strong command of the game.

Rony Flores received the ball and scored one point for CD Marathon within 52 minutes. He kicked the ball directly into the goal net.

The team went wild, and Hispano started to play in a disorganized manner. Orvin Paz was able to score the equalizer within 72 minutres with another direct kick.

Both teams attempted to break the tie, but at least the last few minutes was one of intensity. CD Marathon and Hispano were galvanized but did not have enough force to win the game.

The end result was that CD Marathon is now tied with Real Espana in the Honduran League Classification, while Hispano remains in the lower tier.

In other news, CD Marathon was selected by International Federation of Football History and Statistics as one of the best in Honduras.

Hispano 2-2 CD Marathon

Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Often people who do not understand the passion for football question why so many people care about 22 players running around after a ball for 90 minutes. Even some passionate fans feel that it is simply a game, and nothing more important than that.

However, try telling that to football fans in Honduras. Football has caused both tragedy and healing in the Central American country over the past 40 years. Both war and peace; both preceding and preventing violence; football is more than just a game there.

In 1969, the so-called "Soccer War" broke out between Honduras and El Salvador. Whilst the war was not solely a result of the football, the match between the two nations was widely seen as the catalyst for the outbreak of violence.

Honduras travelled to El Salvador in a playoff for a place in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, but went down to a 3-0 defeat. A bad-tempered game, where the Hondurans were subjected to abuse, xenophobia, and outright hatred, just as the Salvadorans had been in the reverse fixture back in Honduras. Indeed, the Honduran coach, Mario Griffin, commented that “we are awfully lucky that we lost.”

Honduran fans were attacked in San Salvador, both before and after the match, and the Honduran flag and national anthem were insulted, leading to extremely strained relations between the two sets of fans and populations. Salvadorans residents in Honduras were killed or attacked, including several vice consuls, and thousands began fleeing the country. Less than a month after the match, the Salvadoran army and air force launched a full-scale attack on Honduras. The war lasted only four days until a cease-fire agreement was reached, but a final peace settlement would not come for over a decade.

Over 3,000 people were dead—the majority being Honduran civilians—whilst thousands more were left homeless. The economic situation in Honduras was affected by the expulsion of almost 100,000 Salvadorans.

Whilst there were far more complex reasons behind the war, hinging mainly around economic disparities between the countries, the events surrounding the football match are often viewed as the catalyst for the outbreak of violence. It gives a whole new importance to football beyond merely a game for 22 people.

However, football can also act as a major healer. Fast-forward to October 2009, and once again, the Honduran national side travelled to El Salvador in the final qualifying match for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. They knew that they had to win, and needed the USA to beat Costa Rica, to ensure qualification. However, the game took place amid a situation of political turmoil in Honduras. Democratically elected President, Manuel Zelaya, had been forced into exile last July following a power struggle concerning his plans for constitutional change.

The scenes inside the stadium in San Salvador were confused for the Hondurans. They wrapped up a comfortable 1-0 victory after top scorer Carlos Pavon had headed the ball home just after the hour mark. However, Costa Rica had gone 2-0 up against the USA. When the final whistle had blown in San Salvador, the Americans had pulled one goal back, but the Hondurans thought they had missed out. However, a 95^th-minute equaliser confirmed Honduras’ place in South Africa.

Honduran FA President and former Honduran President, Rafael Callejas, said that “if we had not qualified for the World Cup, the differences in Honduras would have become enhanced and probably we would have had high levels of violence. People were tranquilised by the game; it gave them hope and happiness.” Now, the political crisis in the country seems to have resolved itself and is nearly over. Whether this would have happened without the success of the national side is a different question.

It is not the only example of football, and sport in general, having far more extensive effects that people would expect. The qualification of the Cote d’Ivoire in 2006 helped to distract attention from the civil war raging in the country. The mix of different ethnic and religious groups in the national team helped the country to bond, and a cease-fire was declared and observed during the tournament. As one Ivorian said, “Everyone is thinking about soccer and the World Cup, and we have forgotten about the war. Thanks to soccer, the country is going to reconcile its differences.”

Iran’s qualification for the 1998 World Cup led to massive celebrations, alcohol-fuelled parties, and women throwing off their veils. Some thought that the qualification might have become a spark to overthrew the government. It was not to be, but the impact that football can have on the population of a country is clear.

Other sports can have a similar effect as well. The Filipino boxer, Manny Pacquiao, is a true hero back in the Philippines. Virtually the entire country stops during his fights, and crime rates fall to zero during the period of the bout.

Football has often been described as an international language. The influence of football in Honduras over the years has shown that anyone who views football solely as a game severely underestimates the impact that the sport can have on emotions in a country, and even the political future of the nation.

Olimpia faced the Salvadoran team CD Fas at Estadio Tiburcio Carias Andino at Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Olimpia is one of the teams from Honduras participating in the CONCACAF Champions League.

The referee was Hugo Cruz and the game was full of excitement as Roger Rojas scored two goals for his home team of Olimpia.

The first goal occurred in 13 minutes with Rojas receiving an assist from fellow teammate Wilfredo Barahons. The second goal in 80 minutes was exciting with Roger Rojas receiving the ball from Luis Contreras of CD FAS.

Rojas proceeded to kick the ball with his right foot to the left side of the goal post to score. It was an act of justice for Rojas who was recovering from Olimpias loss to Toluca on Aug. 26, 2010. The game itself was dominated by Olimpia and Rojas.

The team was playing to win and to widen its lead, and it pulled all of the stops in all of its spheres of defense, offense, and deflecting the ball from CD Fas. The players were able to pass the ball to each other.

The only defect of Olimpia was that they had many opportunities to score but it appeared that they would be ahead of themselves mentally. The end result was the deflection of balls in the goal post. It is also understandable since Olimpia wanted to maintain its dreams within the CONCACAF Champion League alive.

CD Fas while scoreless proved to be a tougher opponent for Olimpia. They were able to keep Olimpia at bay during most of the game. They were also consistent and disciplined when it comes to their play by distibuting the ball.

The only problem was that Olimpia was able to deflect the ball from CD Fas. CD Fas also had opportunities to score but their nervousness kept them from executing attempts at a goal. The team also had the ball deflected many times.

In the end, Olimpia won its game against CD Fas.

The CONCACAF Champions League Group D standings are as follows.Toluca is in first place with two wins and one draw. Puerto Rican Islanders is in second place with one loss, one win, and one draw.

Olimpia is in third place with one win, one loss, and one draw while CD Fas is in fourth place with two losses and one draw.

Olimpia 2-0 CD Fas

Estadio Tiburcio Carias Andino Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Most Valued Player: Roger Rojas

After four full days so far in the 2010 World Cup, we will get to see the first match in Group H on June 16 at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

This match will contain the first World Cup match for either side since the 20th Century, as Honduras face Chile in what could be a high-scoring match.

Right now, Honduras were extremely lucky to get into this World Cup after a Jonathan Bornstein goal got Honduras into the World Cup with less than 20 seconds remaining in a USA-Costa Rica World Cup qualifier back in October, while Chile are expected to be a surprise side in this World Cup.

With this match soon getting underway, here is my official preview of Honduras v Chile from the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

Team News:

Honduras:

For Honduras, the health of striker David Suazo is unknown going in after suffering a knock against Romania in a recent friendly.

Also, midfielder Wilson Palacios is set to start after suffering an injury in the exact same match as Suazo.

Chile:

For Chile, Humberto Suazo (the leading goalscorer in COMMEBOL qualifying with nine) is set to be on the bench due to the recent hamstring injury he got in a friendly against Israel.

What is on the line:

Honduras:

For Honduras, it is national pride. After the political problems in Honduras during qualification, tensions have started to swell down as the country moves forward.

With this being their first World Cup since 1982, pride is primarily on the line for Los Catrachos as one of the lowest ranked sides in this World Cup.

Chile:

For Chile, it is their chance to advance onto the knockout stage for the first time since 1998.

Overall, this Chile squad has had expectations grow on them over the last several weeks, and la Roja will need to start proving those predictions here.

Key Players:

Honduras:

For Honduras, their key player will be Wilson Palacios .

Palacios' impact will be to help Honduras jump-start their counterattack while Chile are on the attack.

Chile:

For Chile, their key player will be Alexis Sanchez.

With Suarzo probably out all together, Sanchez will be Chile's attacking star, and the young star must produce well for Chile here.

What each side must do to win:

Honduras:

For Honduras, it all comes down to not only how well their keeper Noel Valladares plays against a strong Chilean attack.

If Valladares is great, Honduras could sneak out a win or a draw, but if he is average or below, there will be no way how Honduras can avoid a loss.

Chile:

For Chile, they obviously will be on the attack for most of the match, but also they will need to have strong play from their midfielders.

Honduras will rely on their counterattack for most of the match, which means that Chile must have their midfielders ready for anything.

Biggest key to victory:

Honduras:

Honduras must be able to have a great counterattack and a strong defensive effort.

Chile:

Chile must be able to prevent any counterattacks and play strong defensively.

Projected Lineups:

Honduras (4-4-2)

                                                     Valladares

              Sabillon                   Chavez              Figueroa                  Izaguirre

              Turcios                   Palacios              Guevara                 Julio Leon

                                            Pavon                Suazo

Chile (3-3-1-3)

                           Beausejour            Paredes                Sanchez

                                                Mati Fernandez

                             Millar                 Carmona                  Medel

                             Vidal                    Jara                     Ponce

                                                      Bravo

X-Factor:

The x-factor in this match will be the pitch at the Mbombela Stadium, which is made out of a synthetic surface.

Even though South Africa played here several weeks ago against Thailand without any problems, the artificial surface at the Peter Mokaba Stadium had much criticism from the players back when Algeria and Slovenia played each other on Sunday.

Will that same problem happen at the Mbombela Stadium in this match or will everything go according to plan?

Prediction:

At this World Cup, Chile have one of the best attacks and without question they can score against anyone.

With that in mind, I am predicting a 3-1 Chile win despite the fact that there have only been 23 goals through 14 World Cup matches to date.

A 1-0 victory over El Salvador last October cemented Los Catrachos' place in the World Cup finals, ousting the more fancied perennial qualifiers Costa Rica in the process. A 4-0 home win over the Ticos went a long way toward overcoming their rivals on goal difference.

Preparation since then has not been ideal, however, as the small Central American country have not won any of their last five friendlies, most recently a 3-0 loss to Romania in Austria that followed two draws with Belarus and Azerbaijan.

WORLD CUP HISTORY

SCHEDULE: Group H

Chile: June 16, Nelspruit

Switzerland: June 21, Johannesburg

Spain: June 25, Bloemfontein

The world's 38th-ranked team take on three teams in red this summer in what is a tough draw for the Central Americans. Spain are the tournament favourites, Switzerland are a well-oiled machine under Ottmar Hitzfeld, and Marcelo Bielsa's Chile are a match for any team on their day.

With all three of their opponents in good form and containing serious aspirations, Group H will be a tough slog for the Hondurans, who will be targeting their first two games as areas where points may be acquired.

KEY PLAYERS

Wilson Palacios has overtaken Suazo as Honduras's biggest star in the past two years. Dynamic performances for Wigan Athletic earned the former Olimpia midfielder a move to Tottenham in January 2009. His intensity has helped the club reach the Champions League qualifying rounds and break the Big Four monopoly on the Premier League.

ONE TO WATCH: Maynor Figueroa

BEST CASE SCENARIO...

Qualification for the second round is not completely out of the question, but considering their opposition, getting the necessary four points is unlikely.

WORST CASE SCENARIO...

Three defeats, which is a distinct possibility.

PREDICTION

An early exit, but not an embarrassing one.

A last-minute injury resulted in a slight change but there were otherwise few surprises in the 23-man preliminary roster announced by Honduras head coach Reinaldo Rueda late Monday.

Striker Carlo Costly fractured his right foot last Thursday while playing for Romanian side SC Valsui and the six-week recovery time frame ruled him out for South Africa.

In the search for his replacement, Rueda opted for the slightly more experienced Georgie Welcome over the top two scorers in the Honduran National League, Jerry Bengtson (13 goals) and Roger Rojas (10 goals). The 23-year-old Bengtson of Vida has just one cap with the national team, while 19-year-old Rojas of Olimpia has yet to see action with the senior squad. The 25-year-old Welcome tallied seven goals for Motagua this past season and has 11 caps under his belt.

Costly was paired with Honduras’ all-time leading scorer Carlos Pavon for much of qualifying and scored five goals during the run to secure Honduras’ World Cup berth.

Rather than choose a 30-man preliminary roster and whittle it down to 23 players by the start of the World Cup like most teams do, Rueda chose to select all 23 players he plans to take with him to South Africa. Aside from the Costly injury, the roster shakes out as expected.

GOALKEEPERS

Selections: Ricardo Canales (Motagua), Noel Valladares (Olimpia), Donis Escober (Olimpia)

Outlook: Valladares was the starting netminder throughout qualifying but has come under pressure lately from the media and ex-players due to some poor performances. Canales is believed to have the inside track at cracking the starting 11 if Valladares is benched.

DEFENDERS

Selections: Victor Bernardez (Anderlecht/Belgium), Maynor Figueroa (Wigan/England), Oscar Boniek Garcia (Olimpia), Sergio Mendoza (Motagua), Emilio Izaguirre (Motagua), Johnny Palacios (Olimpia), Mauricio Sabillon (Hangzhou Luchen/China), Osman Chavez (Platense)

Outlook: Ranging in age from 25-28, Figueroa, Mendoza, Garcia and Bernardez all have over 40 caps with the national team. Honduras will hope that the familiarity of playing with one another will come in handy against the attacking abilities of its Group H foes, which most notably features Spain.

MIDFIELDERS

Selections: Edgar Alvarez (Bari/Italy), Julio Cesar de Leon (Torino/Italy), Roger Espinoza (Kansas City Wizards/United States), Amado Guevara (Motagua), Ramon Nunez (Olimpia), Wilson Palacios (Tottenham/England), Hendry Thomas (Wigan/England), Danilo Turcios (Olimpia)

Outlook: Captain and all-time cap leader Guevara (133 caps) teams with Palacios to anchor the midfield, which boasts a strong amount of European experience. A knee injury this past Saturday has Turcios (82 caps) banged up but Rueda is confident he’ll be ready for the Cup.

FORWARDS

Selections: David Suazo (Genoa/Italy), Georgie Welcome (Motagua), Carlos Pavon (Real Espana), Walter Martinez (Marathon)

Outlook: After the announcement of the squad, Rueda expressed some concern over Pavon and Suazo’s lack of recent playing time but the pair has shined for Honduras before. Pavon is the national team’s all-time leading scorer with 57 goals in 98 caps and Suazo has netted 16 goals in 50 games. As the two younger players up front, Martinez and Welcome will be looked upon to change the pace. When Welcome sees the pitch, his play will be under the microscope, as Rueda opted to select him over the previously mentioned Bengtson and Rojas.

RESERVES

Selections: Kevin Hernandez (Real Espana), Carlo Costly (SC Valsui/Romania), Mariano Acevedo (Marathon), Jerry Palacios (Hangzhou Nabel Greentown/China), Johnny Leveron (Motagua), Erick Norales (Marathon), Melvin Valladares (Real Espana)

Outlook: At this juncture, the reserves will only be called into action in case of injury. With Costly out for six weeks, his selection is either recognition of his past play or simply wishful thinking.

Click here for more on Honduras’ chances at this year’s World Cup.

Honduras enters the World Cup Finals as a true feel-good story, qualifying for the second time in its history – its first was in 1982 - and rallying a country in political turmoil.

“Los Catrachos” booked their ticket to South Africa in dramatic fashion and with a little help. On the final day of qualifying, an extra-time goal by the United States in a qualifier against Costa Rica pushed Honduras past Costa Rica in the standings on goal differential and secured it the third and final automatic berth from CONCACAF.

SCHEDULE

Chile: June 16

Spain: June 21

Switzerland: June 25

Although it’s far from a “Group of Death,” surviving and advancing through Group H will be a very steep challenge for Honduras.

The group has the distinction of being the last to hit the pitch – playing a week after the tournament’s opening day – and all sides might be a little restless when they finally open play. Honduras begins with Chile - second-place finishers during qualifying in the extremely competitive CONMEBOL region - in a game it simply cannot lose if it hopes to make it to the round of 16.

Euro 2008 champion and FIFA no. 2, Spain, looms in the second match, with the two sides meeting at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg. If the confrontation with the talented Spanish wasn’t enough to worry the Hondurans, the altitude might be. The stadium rests at an eye-popping altitude of 5,732 feet above sea level.

Four days later, Honduras will meet Switzerland in a fixture it will probably have to win in order to advance past the group stage. That is, if it hasn’t already been mathematically eliminated. Regardless, Honduras should have an advantage when it comes to travel and rest. Los Catrachos will travel about 400km from Johannesburg to Bloemfontein for the fixture, while the Swiss will have to travel nearly 700km from Port Elizabeth - the site of its previous match with Chile.

KEY PLAYERS

Honduras is led by a group of players enjoying success in Europe’s top leagues and a pair of battle-tested national team veterans.

Central midfielder Wilson Palacios headlines the European-based players, as an athletic staple of the English Premier League’s Tottenham Hotspur. The 25-year old has 69 caps with Honduras and brings a solid pedigree to the midfield – just don’t look for him to blister the back of the net (only 4 goals in his 69 national team caps). Striker David Suazo (Genoa), midfielders Julio Cesar de Leon (Torino) and Hendry Thomas (Wigan Athletic) and defender Maynor Figueroa (Wigan Athletic) also bring with them the experience of playing in leagues of the highest level.

Long-time regulars of the national team, forward Carlos Pavon and midfielder Amada Guevara, will have their careers punctuated by this World Cup trip. Pavon, 36, is Honduras’ all-time leading goal scorer with 57 goals in 98 caps and paced CONCACAF qualifying with seven goals. Guevara, 33, has the most caps (133) in Honduras national team history and is also the team captain. Both might be familiar to US fans while playing in Major League Soccer. Guevara was the 2004 MLS MVP while playing with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars and Pavon suited up for the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

The mixture of young and old, as well as the nothing-to-lose attitude that often comes with being an underdog may very well prove to be an asset this June.

Pavon, Suazo and Carlo Costly (5 goals in qualifying) should make Honduras solid up front, as the team averaged nearly two goals a match during qualifying.

Palacios will be coming off the most important club matches of his career, as he has helped put Tottenham in position to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season.

Of course, the weight of expectations from a country starving for international success may prove crippling.

Goalkeeper Noel Valladares has come under fire in the last few months for his performance with the national team as well as Honduran National League side Olimpia, with media and ex-players calling for his dismissal from the starting 11. If a change is made, Montagua’s Ricardo Canales seems to be the most likely replacement.

Rumors have also recently surfaced that the team’s coach, Rueda Reinaldo, might resign as the Cup approaches because of unpaid bonuses in excess of $1-million due to the staff and players for qualifying.

IT WOULD BE A GREAT WORLD CUP IF…

Cinderellas seem to spring up at every World Cup and if Honduras made it through to the round of 16, it would certainly qualify as one. Honduras allowed just 11 goals in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying - fewer than regional powerhouses United States and Mexico - and will need a similar defensive stand, as well as some slip-ups by the favorites, to have a chance at completing the lofty feat.

IT WOULD BE A DISASTER IF…

With a loss to Spain highly likely, in-form Chile and Switzerland sides could turn Honduras’ African adventure into a nightmare. If both of those nations are still rolling along – each excelled in qualifying - Honduras could conceivably head back home without a point.

MY PREDICTION

With a growing roster of “name players,” Honduras has quickly become a force to be reckoned with in CONCACAF. However, that success hasn’t translated into round-of-16 play for what would be regarded as the region’s smaller countries in recent World Cups. Costa Rica (twice), Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica all failed to advance past the group stage in the last three World Cups.

History is also not on its side, as Honduras failed to win a game at the 1982 World Cup.

Grabbing three points with an upset win is probably the ceiling, while snatching one point with a draw against Chile or Switzerland is the most realistic outcome.