Monday, February 11, 2013

World Cup 2014 - First Hexagonal Matches Played

USMNT Losses in First Hexagonal Match for World Cup 2014 Qualification 

The Caribbean, North and Central American qualification group for World Cup 2014 has been narrowed down to just 6 teams who will battle it out to qualify for the upcoming World Cup.

On February 6th, 2013, the first match in this final stage of qualification was played as the US went south to play Honduras.

Honduras came back from a goal down to beat the US 2-1 and gain 3 valuable points in the group.

Clint Dempsey got his 31st career goal for the USMNT in the first half, giving the Americans a 1-0 lead. But that lasted only minutes as Honduras tied the game just before halftime. 

In the second half, Honduras managed to grab another goal, which proved enough to win the game for them.

Although this was not a good start for World Cup Qualifications, this was only the first of a number of games to be played over the next 6 months to determine who will advance from the group.

World Cup 2014 Qualification Standings after Match 1 for the Hexagonal:

world cup qualification current standings list
Standings for Hexagonal World Cup Qualifiers 
While the USA does sit at the bottom with zero points, they are fortunate that both Mexico vs Jamaica, and Panama vs Costa Rica ended in draws, leaving only Honduras with a full 3 points.

The US will play Costa Rica next at the end of Match, followed by a game against Mexico a week later.

With a their first game ending in a disappointing loss, the US will have to work very hard to win their next few matches or else face an even more dismal situation; not qualifying for World Cup 2014.