The USMNT remains perfect in Gold Cup play with a 5-1 win over El Salvador in Sunday’s quarterfinal match. The US has now outscored opponents 16 to 3 over the course of four matches. The US are flexing their muscles and scoring goals while looking good. USMNT were expected to win but nobody expected dominance over the tougher opponents like Costa Rica and El Salvador. The US will now take on Honduras in the semi-finals on Wednesday in Dallas.
Honduras offers up a much more dangerous team then what the US has been facing in this Gold Cup. Honduras is one of the elite squads in the region, and is looking to establish themselves as a perennial power. They made a deep run in the Olympics and are currently in 4th in World Cup Qualifying. Honduras brought their A squad to this Gold Cup in hopes of upsetting some bigger teams and making a statement that they are a top team in CONCACAF. In this tournament Honduras has not been dangerous offensively; they have only scored 4 goals in 4 games. They have beaten teams by holding possession and playing strong defense.
This match-up favors the US mainly because the US have been dominating possessions and creating many scoring chances. Honduras will hold up a good amount of resistance against the US but if they use high pressure and smart ball movement the Yanks will march on through to the finals. The US have to watch committing fouls in dangerous spots and they need to have strong coordination on the defense. Clarence Goodson got the start against El Salvador and he looked to be a liability with his wishy washy challenges and poor clearances. Expect Jurgen to start Orozco Fiscal along with Beasler in this fixture. Honduras has a strong midfield so the US has to limit their time on the ball. If they the US can find Landon Donovan regularly and give him support up top then the US will be able to create and convert scoring chances.
[Photo: J. Meric/Getty Images]
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