The USMNT should have no problem beating Honduras, even with all the injuries
The United States lost their first two matches of the final round of World Cup qualifying. Now the unthinkable is very much a possibility -- not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.
Such stakes make people understandably worried. The Americans have been to seven straight World Cups, providing the national team with not only the chance to play in the biggest sporting event on the planet, but an incredible opportunity to grow the sport in the country. Toss in that CONCACAF is a notoriously weak region where the U.S. and Mexico lord over their competition, all much smaller and with a fraction of the resources, and it's easy to say that missing the World Cup would be disastrous for the U.S.
So as the Americans get ready to play Honduras, desperate for a win, people are bound to fret. Maybe even panic. The stakes demand it. And then the injuries started piling up.
DeAndre Yedlin, out. So is Fabian Johnson. Toss in Eric Lichaj and you have a team running out of right backs. Then Bobby Wood got hurt, meaning the attack was thrown into flux. Jordan Morris hasn't trained with the team either and Clint Dempsey's fitness is in question.
This was all on top of suspensions to Jermaine Jones and Timothy Chandler.
So now you have a huge match with the World Cup in the balance and a team that is severely short-handed. Panic is essentially a given.
And while panic is understandable, it's not really rational. Even taking into account the two losses in November, and the injuries, and the suspensions, the United States should beat Honduras. And they should do so relatively easily.
It's easy to look at the Americans' current situation in a vacuum, but widen the scope.
Before the U.S. lost to Mexico four months ago, they hadn't lost a home World Cup qualifier in 15 years. Last cycle, they won all five matches at home and didn't surrender a goal. Four years earlier, the only match they didn't win was a draw after they had already qualified for the World Cup. The cycle before -- which U.S. boss Bruce Arena was in charge for -- the Americans won their five home matches by a combined score of 10-0.
The Americans don't lose at home in World Cup qualifying. Hell, they barely even draw. They've qualified for World Cup after World Cup on the strength of their ability to stack up wins on home soil.
The loss to Mexico was concerning, no doubt, but why look at just that match instead of a decade-plus of history that preceded it? That's especially true when you take into account the way the players talked about the tactics and plan from Jurgen Klinsmann afterward. With Klinsmann now gone, it's fair to presume the Americans won't walk out against Honduras unsure what their jobs are or how to execute their game plan. They will almost certainly be the U.S. team of old. While that U.S. team may not be a bunch of world beaters capable of winning a World Cup, it is one that has no problem winning qualifiers at home.
And if the Americans' home dominance isn't enough, the Hondurans' road struggles only makes a U.S. win more likely. The Catrachos won two away matches total in the last two final qualifying rounds. That's two wins from 10 and includes a pair of losses to the Americans.
It can even be argued that those Honduras teams were better ones than the team the U.S. will face on Friday.
And that, more than anything is what it comes down to. The Americans are simply a much better team.
Yes, the Americans would be better off with Jones, and Yedlin, and Johnson, and Wood, and whoever else Arena can't choose from because of suspension or injury, but look at the U.S. roster from top to bottom. This is still a team that will put Tim Howard in goal, John Brooks in the center of defense, will lean on Michael Bradley, and features Christian Pulisic and Jozy Altidore in the attack.
That U.S. team will be taking a side that calls Maynor Figueroa, Roger Espinoza, Andy Najar , Mario Martinez, Alberth Elis and Emilio Izaguirre its best players. Those are all fine players, but they don't stack up to the Americans' best. It's not even close. And while the U.S. will rue having to start someone like Geoff Cameron at right back, he'd still walk right into the Honduras team. So would Omar Gonzalez or Darlington Nagbe.
The Americans are simply more talented than Honduras. By a fair bit, too. And that is after all of their injuries.
So while the stakes have driven fear into the hearts of U.S. fans, and the team is not at full strength, there's no reason to panic.
Breathe deep and take a look at what the Americans are facing. It's a home qualifier, the ones they always win, and against a team they're better than. Everything will be OK.
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