The U.S. Men's National Team came from behind to salvage a precious 1-1 draw with Honduras on Tuesday at Estadio Olimpico in San Pedro Sula.
Romell Quioto fired the hosts ahead after 27 minutes, but second-half substitute Bobby Wood bundled home the equalizer in the 85th minute as the U.S. took hold of fourth place in CONCACAF's Hexagonal standings. A loss would have dropped the Yanks to fifth.
Sporting Kansas City defenders Matt Besler and Graham Zusi earned starts on Tuesday for their 45th and 55th caps, respectively. Zusi made way for Geoff Cameron in the 63rd minute, while Besler went the full 90 minutes. The Sporting KC captain also played a role in the Americans' goal, keeping the ball alive on the left byline before a deft touch from Jordan Morris allowed Wood to finish from close range.
The dramatic draw could prove decisive in the U.S. MNT's hopes of World Cup qualification heading into the final two Hexagonal matches next month. Upon completion of qualifying on Oct. 10, the top three finishers will advance to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The fourth-place finisher will progress to a two-legged World Cup playoff in November against either Australia or Syria.
Team |
PTS |
W |
L |
D |
GF |
GA |
GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mexico (Q) |
18 |
5 |
0 |
3 |
11 |
3 |
+8 |
Costa Rica |
15 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
12 |
5 |
+7 |
Panama |
10 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
7 |
5 |
+2 |
United States |
9 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
12 |
11 |
+1 |
Honduras |
9 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
9 |
16 |
-7 |
Trinidad and Tobago |
3 |
1 |
7 |
0 |
4 |
15 |
-11 |
The U.S. will host Panama on Oct. 6 and visit Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 10 to round out their Hexagonal campaign. Victories in both matches would guarantee a top-three finish and the Americans' eighth straight World Cup berth.
