Honduras Men's National Team vs. Costa Rica
FIFA World Cup Qualifier -CONCACAF Final Round
Tuesday, March 28, 4 p.m. CT | beIN Sports Connect, NBC Universo
Estadio Francisco Morazan | San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Sporting KC midfielder Roger Espinoza and the Honduras Men’s National Team will look to bounce back from a humbling defeat to the United States when they host Costa Rica at 4 p.m. CT Tuesday at Estadio Francisco Morazan in San Pedro Sula.
The World Cup qualifier pits two teams who suffered losses on Friday in the Hexagonal. Costa Rica fell 2-0 at Mexico before Honduras incurred a 6-0 setback to the United States — a match that saw Espinoza start and play 90 minutes in his 51st international appearance.
Espinoza was part of a Honduras lineup that included three other MLS players: Houston Dynamo attacking duo Alberth Elis and Rommel Quioto and FC Dallas defender Maynor Figueroa. Former Sporting KC players Jorge Claros and Ever Alvarado also earned starts under head coach Jorge Luis Pinto, who is set to face the country he led to the 2014 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals in Brazil. Indeed, Pinto led the Ticos to their best-ever World Cup finish three years ago, only to become Honduras’ manager in December 2014.
Honduras is 1-2-0 through three Hexagonal matches, three points behind Costa Rica and one point behind third-place Panama. All six CONCACAF nations will play seven more games between now and October, with the top three finishers punching their ticket to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The fourth-place finisher will face an Asian team in a two-legged World Cup playoff in November.
Hexagonal Standings
Team |
PTS |
W |
L |
D |
GF |
GA |
GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mexico |
7 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
+3 |
Costa Rica |
6 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
6 |
2 |
+4 |
Panama |
4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
USA |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
7 |
6 |
+1 |
Trinidad & Tobago |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
-3 |
Honduras |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
8 |
-5 |
Costa Rica entered March atop the Hexagonal standings after opening CONCACAF’s final qualifying stage with a 2-0 road win over Trinidad and Tobago and an impressive 4-0 home victory against the United States last November. However, the Ticos surrendered top spot to Mexico after falling Friday night at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Javier Hernandez tied Mexico’s all-time scoring record in the seventh minute before Nestor Araujo sealed the result just before halftime, handing Costa Rica its first loss of the current World Cup qualifying campaign.
Tuesday’s showdown could go a long way in determining whether Honduras can secure a third straight World Cup appearance. Espinoza helped Los Catrachos to third-place finishes in the Hexagonal in 2010 and 2014, going on to feature prominently in both World Cups.
Before battling to a 1-1 draw in January’s Copa Centroamericana, Honduras and Costa Rica had not squared off since October 2013 — a 1-0 Hexagonal victory for Los Catrachos in San Pedro Sula. Costa Rica hasn’t won on Honduran soil since 2001, going 0-2-1 in corresponding World Cup qualifiers ahead of the 2006, 2010 and 2014 tournaments.
Led by head coach Oscar Ramirez, Costa Rica sits at No. 19 in the latest FIFA World Rankings, just two places behind Mexico for highest spot in the CONCACAF region. Ramirez’s squad boasts a wealth of European-based talent – Sporting Clube de Portugal duo Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell spearhead the front line, while midfielder Celso Borges plays for Deportivo La Coruna in Spain – but also a strong MLS contingent.
Francisco Calvo (Minnesota United), Ronald Matarrita (New York City FC), Kendall Waston (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Christian Bolanos (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), David Guzman (Portland Timbers), Rodney Wallace (New York City FC), Marco Urena (San Jose Earthquakes), Johan Venegas (Minnesota United) and Jose Guillermo Ortiz (D.C. United) all ply their trade in Major League Soccer.
Hexagonal Schedule
Nov. 11, 2016 |
<strong>USA</strong> 1, Mexico 2 |
MAPFRE Stadium, Columbus |
Nov. 11, 2016 |
Honduras 0, Panama 1 |
Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula |
Nov. 11, 2016 |
Trinidad & Tobago 0, Costa Rica 2 |
Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain |
Nov. 15 2016 |
Costa Rica 4, <strong>USA 0</strong> |
Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San Jose |
Nov. 15, 2016 |
Panama 0, Mexico 0 |
Estadio Rommel Fernandez, Panama City |
Nov. 15, 2016 |
Honduras 3, Trinidad & Tobago 1 |
Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula |
Mar. 24, 2017 |
<strong>USA 6</strong>, Honduras 0 |
Avaya Stadium, San Jose, Calif. |
Mar. 24, 2017 |
Trinidad & Tobago 1, Panama 0 |
Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain |
Mar. 24, 2017 |
Mexico 2, Costa Rica 0 |
Estadio Azteca, Mexico City |
Mar. 28, 2017 |
Panama vs. <strong>USA</strong> |
Estadio Rommel Fernandez, Panama City |
Mar. 28, 2017 |
Honduras vs. Costa Rica |
Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula |
Mar. 28, 2017 |
Trinidad & Tobago vs. Mexico |
Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain |
Jun. 9, 2017 |
<strong>USA</strong> vs. Trinidad & Tobago |
TBD |
Jun. 9, 2017 |
Costa Rica vs. Panama |
Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San Jose |
Jun. 9, 2017 |
Mexico vs. Honduras |
TBD |
Jun. 13, 2017 |
Mexico vs. <strong>USA</strong> |
TBD |
Jun. 13, 2017 |
Panama vs. Honduras |
Estadio Rommel Fernandez, Panama City |
Jun. 13, 2017 |
Costa Rica vs. Trinidad & Tobago |
Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San Jose |
Sep. 1, 2017 |
<strong>USA</strong> vs. Costa Rica |
TBD |
Sep. 1, 2017 |
Mexico vs. Panama |
TBD |
Sep. 1, 2017 |
Trinidad & Tobago vs. Honduras |
Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain |
Sep. 5, 2017 |
Honduras vs. <strong>USA</strong> |
Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula |
Sep. 5, 2017 |
Panama vs. Trinidad & Tobago |
Estadio Rommel Fernandez, Panama City |
Sep. 5, 2017 |
Costa Rica vs. Mexico |
Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San Jose |
Oct. 6, 2017 |
<strong>USA</strong> vs. Panama |
TBD |
Oct. 6, 2017 |
Costa Rica vs. Honduras |
Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San Jose |
Oct. 6, 2017 |
Mexico vs. Trinidad & Tobago |
TBD |
Oct. 10, 2017 |
Trinidad & Tobago vs. <strong>USA</strong> |
Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain |
Oct. 10, 2017 |
Panama vs. Costa Rica |
Estadio Rommel Fernandez, Panama City |
Oct. 10, 2017 |
Honduras vs. Mexico |
Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula |
