FIFA World Cup 2010
Honduras
 HondurasNational Autonomous Federation of Football of Honduras Best Results
World Cup Round 1, 1982 Gold Cup Runner-up 1991 |
Honduras' national football team has achieved the second FIFA World Cup qualification of its history for the 2010 South African edition. The national team puts its hopes in the combination of its most experienced players with the energy of its young figures.
The qualification to South Africa was not an easy one for Honduras, as even after their final game of the qualifying stage, they were still depending on the result of the game between the U.S. and Costa Rica to get a spot in the World Cup.
Qualifying Stage
The Honduran team began the qualifying stage giving its best. With a bye on the first qualifying round, Honduras eliminated Puerto Rico without any problems in the second round, with an overall score of 6-2. In the third round, Honduras faced the teams of Canada, Jamaica and Mexico, qualifying to the fourth round in the first place of its group, with four victories, two draws and no defeats.
In the fourth and final qualifying round, Honduras faced U.S., Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago, fighting for one of the three CONCACAF's automatic qualifications to the World Cup. It was a long and complicated round of 10 games, beginning with a loss as visitors against Costa Rica. Then with a draw against Trinidad and Tobago and a victory at home against Mexico, Honduras began to move towards its qualification to South Africa. Despite its loss as visitors against United States, Honduras continued with victories over El Salvador, Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago. Then the “catrachos” suffered two losses against Mexico and the United States.
With one game to end the qualifying stage, Honduras was in the fourth place of the table, two points behind third place, Costa Rica, which until then was still aspiring for an automatic qualification. On October 14, 2009 the last two games of both teams were held simultaneously. While Honduras was beating El Salvador, Costa Rica was doing the same against United States. In the final whistle of Honduras' match, the catrachos got the so desired victory, with a 1-0. Although they couldn't celebrate just yet because the game of Costa Rica was still on and at that time, Costa Rica was winning 2-1 to U.S, assuring its classification. However, in the fourth minute of injury time, the American Jonathan Bornstein scored the goal for the draw that ended with Costa Rica's aspirations and that way Honduras sealed its qualification for goal difference.
Players
The veteran Carlos Pavon was the key player during the World Cup qualifying stage. Pavon, who scored the qualifying goal against El Salvador, has played for the national team for 14 years and is the highest scorer in the Honduran history, with 57 goals. At the age of 36, Pavón is still the most dangerous and effective striker of the Honduran team. Reinforced by talented players who play in the European leagues such as David Suazo, Wilson Palacios and Julio Leon, as well as national team captain Amado Guevara, Pavón hopes to finish his successful international career in the best way possible at the South African World Cup.
Head Coach
The Colombian coach Reinaldo Rueda has restored the faith of the Hondurans fans, who were very disappointed because even though its national team had always been one of the favorite teams in the area, they usually failed in the most important moments of the qualifying and had been left out of the World Cup several times before.
In charge of the Honduran team since 2007, Rueda has taken his leading role so seriously that since the beginning he obtained the confidence of the teams' head office, who had given him the time and space he required to form the team and develop his strategies. Rueda has established a stable and strong team both in offense and defense. He has paid back the trust that everyone has placed on him by qualifying the team to South Africa and hopes for more in the World Cup.