South Africa World Cup 2010 Group H: Honduras

GROUP H

Spain Switzerland Chile Honduras

Honduras

Road to South Africa

Honduras began their road to the finals by steaming past Puerto Rico 6-2 over two legs in June 2008.

In the next round they impressively topped a group containing Canada, Jamaica and CONCACAF giants Mexico, winning four out of six matches including a 1-0 home victory over the Mexicans in front of 45,000 in San Pedro Sula.

In the final qualifying group of six, three automatic places and one place in a play-off with the fifth-placed South American finisher were at stake. This time home form saw them through, where the Hondurans won four out of five. An eight-game unbeaten run ended with a 3-2 home reverse to the USA in their penultimate match, leaving their fans on edge going into the final day. A 1-0 win at El Salvador kept their dream alive but Costa Rica were winning 2-1 in Washington as the qualification tournament entered injury time.

Honduran hopes of an automatic berth had almost evaporated before Jonathan Bornstein sensationally nodded in Robbie Rogers' US corner in the 94th minute to send their southern neighbours to South Africa and the nation into wild delirium. Honduras had made it to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years.

Fixtures

Honduras Copyright © Soccerphile	Honduras Copyright © Soccerphile

Honduras v Chile 16 June; Nelspruit
Honduras v Spain 21 June; Johannesburg
Honduras v Switzerland 25 June; Bloemfontein

Analysis

What stands out immediately about Honduras is how big they are while central Americans are traditionally short in stature. This has led to accusations the Hondurans are an aerial side but this is not fair. They use their height to their advantage but are also imbued with the ground skill for which Latin Americans teams are renowned.

It may only have been a US 2nd XI the Hondurans defeated 3-1 at the start of 2010, but the victory in front of an expat-heavy crowd in California reminded us they have a number of dangerous elements.

Roger Espinoza's left-wing forays provide an offensive tool, while the team as a whole counter-attack quickly before sending in diagonal balls to their front two or three. Wigan's Maynor Figueroa is a left-back of real quality with pace and set-piece proficiency, while his club colleague Hendry Thomas mans the defensive midfield position.

The forward men are fine compliments to each other - the diminutive Carlos Pavon pulls the trigger from close range while the towering Carlo Costly prefers long-range missiles and killer final balls, and while a third option is David Suazo, who has spent the last decade impressing in Europe at Cagliari, Inter, Benfica and now Genoa.

They might be World Cup novices but they are experienced: Pavon is aged 36 while another veteran is their attacking midfield captain Amano Guevara, aged 33. Guevara's finest hour was being named player of the tournament in the 2001 Copa America where Honduras defeated Brazil and finished third.

A solid back four, prolific strikers, height, strength and a powerful team spirit fueled by a rare success in qualifying mean Honduras should not be dismissed easily.

Key player: Carlos Pavon

A 36-year-old outfield talisman gives the lie to football being only a young man's game. Pavon has played for fifteen different clubs in six countries and in his seventeenth year for his country remains their most influential player. He has enjoyed spells in Colombia, Italy, Mexico and Spain as well as at the LA Galaxy where he formed a useful target for David Beckham's crosses in 2007-'08.

A leader on and off the field, Pavon inspires his younger teammates and remains a lethal finisher and his team's penalty-taker. He finished second in the CONCACAF qualifying scoring charts with seven goals in nine games and is his nation's all time top-gunner with 57 strikes from 96 outings. What he lacks in pace he makes up for in sound positioning, on-the-spot mobility and pinpoint shooting. His twists, turns and bicycle kicks belie his years.

One to watch: Wilson Palacios

The 25-year-old central midfielder has been earning rave reviews in the Premier League since arriving at Birmingham City in 2007 from Olimpia in Honduras. A move to Wigan followed in 2008 and after 37 impressive showings, Tottenham snapped him up for £12million a year later. Palacios has won a starting spot at one of England's top sides with his intelligent passing, hard running and tackling. To prove his worth he won the man of the match award in the North London derby soon after joining Spurs. Briefly traumatized by the kidnapping, ransom demands and subsequent murder of his younger brother by a street gang last year, he has more than one reason to impress at the World Cup.

Coach: Reinaldo Rueda

The Colombian has become a folk hero for guiding the nation to its first finals since 1982.

Rueda took the Honduran reins in 2007 after a decade coaching Colombia's U17, U20 and U21 national teams. He also coached three Colombian professional teams and has extensive experience in sports science as a lecturer and coaching instructor.

Rueda's impressive credentials meant the Colombian federation turned to him after five games of their 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign had left the national team in dire straits. While he did not manage to take them to the finals, Colombia finished a creditable sixth after such a disastrous start.

Since joining La Bicolor, Rueda has impressed everyone with his hard-working approach and results on the field. The 52 year-old has brought his years of study to bear as the team has never looked so organised or psychologically strong. Whether he intended to or not, his work has taken the pressure off the country's turbulent politics by ensuring all Honduran eyes will be on the football in June.

Record

1982 First Round

FIFA Ranking

Predictions & Latest Odds

We think they'll struggle to get out of the group.
World Cup Betting

How they qualified

Third in CONCACAF qualifying zone.

On the sidelines

Drew with Spain and Northern Ireland in 1982 World Cup.
Buy World Cup Tickets

Soccerphile says

Los Catrachos are better than most people think, but will have to impress even more to make it out of the first round. A group containing Spain means one spot in the knock-out stages is effectively taken, but Honduras could have had a better draw than Chile and Switzerland. Chile are the South American team of the moment, who finished second behind Brazil in CONMEBOL, a stronger region than CONCACAF, evinced by Uruguay's playoff triumph over Costa Rica.

A meeting with Spain presents a mirror to their clash in Espana '82, which ended 1-1. This Spanish team is much more dangerous however - European champions and FIFA-ranked No.1.

While Honduras' world ranking of 37th places them some way behind their rivals for second spot - Chile are 15th and the Swiss 18th, those nations will under-estimate them at their peril. Unlike most Central American nations, Honduras are physically strong, and they attack fluidly. Mentally honed by Rueda, they will be well aware how much they mean to their troubled country.

Honduras is a classic case of the off-field power of football. This land of almost 8million people was one of the participants (with El Salvador) in the notorious Soccer War of 1969, while only last year a coup d'etat replaced the President with a government so far unrecognised by the United Nations. The replacement President Roberto Micheletti wasted no time in calling a national day of celebration for the football team's homecoming from World Cup qualification.

Honduras will witness more upheaval in 2010, but while the national team is still in the tournament, the wounds will miraculously heal.

If the World Cup is to throw up an underdog who will steam through unexpectedly, as North Korea did in 1966 or Cameroon in 1990, Honduras could well fit the bill. But first they must dispose of South America's surprise package and a Swiss team traditionally tough to beat in the opening phase.

The Squad

Goalkeepers: Ricardo Canales (Motagua), Noel Valladares (Olimpia), Donis Escober (Olimpia)
Defenders: Victor Bernardez (Anderlecht), Maynor Figueroa (Wigan), Oscar Garcia (Olimpia), Sergio Mendoza (Motagua), Emilio Izaguirre (Motagua), Johnny Palacios (Olimpia), Mauricio Sabillon (Hangzhou Luchen), Osman Chavez (Platense)
Midfielders: Edgard Alvarez (Bari), Julio Cesar de Leon (Torino), Roger Espinoza (Kansas City Wizards), Amado Guevara (Motagua), Ramon Nunez (Olimpia), Wilson Palacios (Tottenham Hotspur), Hendry Thomas (Wigan), Danilo Turcios (Olimpia)
Forwards: David Suazo (Genoa), Georgie Welcome (Motagua), Carlos Pavon (Real Espana), Walter Martinez (Marathon)

"The Onside In-Site" Copyright © From 2000. All rights reserved. Soccerphile Ltd.