Bruce Arena will have been on the job with the U.S. Men's National Team for about three months when he meets his first incredibly stern test. The Stars and Stripes are arguably in must-win range if they want to reach the World Cup. They've got a home date with Honduras in their third match of the Hex, and anything less than three points in that match is going to make it incredibly hard to reach the World Cup in Russia in 2018.
This World Cup Qualifying duel will go down Friday, March 24, 2017, at 10:30 p.m. ET at Avaya Stadium. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
USA -225
Honduras +650
Draw +275
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
In fairness to the United States, it's had a tough road to sow at this point in the Hex. They've been beaten in their first two matches though, and at some point, they really need to get off to mark. Losing to Honduras at home would be devastating, and a point wouldn't be a whole heck of a lot better. That's why the Americans are -225 on the moneyline in this game and are favored by more than a full goal.
The total of 2.5 leans just a bit towards the under, and that isn't all that surprising either with the United States scoring just one goal in two WCQs thus far.
How They've Performed
The Americans' failures are well highlighted here in the final round of World Cup qualifying. They were beaten by both Mexico at home and Costa Rica on the road in their first round of qualifiers in November. It wouldn’t have been an utter failure had the U.S. picked up two draws or even a win and a draw, but two losses was brutal and left the Yanks at the bottom of the table with eight matches left to play.
Honduras is in a decent spot right now with three points in two matches, and if that keeps up, this team might pull off the shocker and get into the World Cup in 2018. But if we're being realistic, Los Catrachos played at home against Panama and Trinidad & Tobago, and those were arguably the two easiest fixtures that were to be played in the Hex. It's only really going to get harder from here.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
This Honduran team isn't a terrible one, but it should be overmatched against the best teams in CONCACAF. Maynor Figueroa is the captain of this squad from FC Dallas, making him one of the five players on this roster who play in the MLS. Romell Quioto and Alberth Elis are amongst the up and comers on this team, and Quioto was the first goal scorer against T&T. Eddie Hernandez, who also scored in that game, has made 17 career appearances for his team at the striker spot, and he has four career goals for his homeland.
One question the Americans don't have is who is going to be in goal in this fixture. Tim Howard was hurt against Mexico, and that gave way to Brad Guzan, who struggled mightily against Costa Rica a couple days later. Guzan was left off this roster with Howard now healthy once again. Bringing back DaMarcus Beasley should help with the veteran nature of the team, while Arena has also called upon Clint Dempsey, who hasn't played for the United States in basically a half a year. Whether Dempsey can play a full 90 minutes in this game or will be used as a sub remains a question.
In the end, we have to think the United States can win this match, especially with a new boss and with all of the pressure on its back. If the Americans can get a goal in the opening half court, it's entirely possible they can win this match by multiple goals.
World Cup Qualifying Odds: USA 3, Honduras 0
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