The United States begins World Cup qualifying on Wednesday against Honduras in CONCACAF 2014 and the team is hoping for a successful start.
The U.S. team will be in hostile territory, as Central American cities usually go very hard against the American national team. San Pedro Sula, where the game is being held, is considered to be one of the most dangerous cities in the world. The State department put out a travel warning to U.S. citizens, although the national team doesn't have much choice in the matter.
According to the United States Department of State, there were 159 homicides for every 100,000 residents in 2011. The area's population is about one million. Midfielder Michael Bradley spoke to the New York Times and said he was not worried about the warnings.
"Between U.S. Soccer and the American government, we always get taken care of very well," Bradley said. "Really, from the time we get here to the time we leave, all that's left up to us is to step on the field and give the best possible performance."
Apart from the surrounding dangers, the U.S. will need to play well against Honduras or they could be in danger of missing the World Cup all together. Mexico and the United States are considered to be the favorites of the group, but if the Honduran team comes out fast, the American may not be able to recover.
"Now is what all the work has been for, and it starts tomorrow," forward Jozy Altidore said before practice Tuesday to the Washington Post. "It's important for us to get off to a good start. In these competitions, you don't want to start off with zero points. It's a huge mental edge to begin with a win."
The game is being held at Estadio Olimpico in San Pedro Sula and even though Honduras is the underdog, the US will not be taking them lightly.
Landon Donovan will not be playing with the team during this stretch, so the Americans will rely heavily on the leadership of Carlos Bocanegra, who has been playing excellent in international play over the past year, including scoring his 14th goal in October against Guatemala. The 33-year-old is the best defender on the squad and will be focusing on the top line of Honduras.
United States head coach Jurgen Klinsmann will be looking to Clint Dempsey for offensive support and despite not playing well offensively last year in the Premier League, he has scored five goals in seven matches, giving the Americans an experienced and consistent goal scorer heading into the match. The last time the two teams played, Dempsey scored the lone goal as the Americans won 1-0.
"You have three days and hopefully you do the right thing, but most important, is the attitude of the players: that they are ready for it, that they hungry for it, that they understand the importance of it now. It's World Cup qualifying time. This is big. It's something you don't want to let slip through your hands," Klinsmann said.
The United States is 12-3-3 against Honduras all-time and the two sides have not met since October 2011, which took place in Miami. The last time the two played in a World Cup qualifying event, USA took it 3-2 to clinch a spot in the 2010 Cup after two goals from Conor Casey.
In the semifinal round of qualifying, the US had a rough go of it, but were able to win the weak group of four teams, while Honduras went 3-1-2 to advance out of Group C. The Americans had three players participate in all six matches of that round, Dempsey, Herculez Gomez and Tim Howard playing in each.
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HERE is a full list of the probable starting lineups:
-United States:
Howard; Johnson, Bocanegra, Cameron, Chandler; Jones, Edu; Dempsey, Bradley, Zusi; Altidore
-Honduras:
Valladares; Peralta, Bernardez, Figueroa, Garcia; Garcia, Espinoza, Garrido, Martinez; Costly, Bengston