USA vs. Honduras
2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
July 7 | 9:30 pm ET | Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Tex.
TV: FOX Sports 1, UniMás, UDN
The US national team begin their Gold Cup title defense on Tuesday night against Honduras. They will be playing in front of a sold-out crowd at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, the first time they will be playing at FC Dallas' home stadium since 2007.
USA come into the match riding high after a 4-0 trouncing of Guatemala last Friday night and they will look to continue that momentum against a Honduras team that has had a rough go of it since the World Cup.
EXTRA MOTIVATION: Not only does Jurgen Klinsmann's team come into this game on a four-game winning streak, but they also should be feeling a lot of pride for their country after watching their counterparts take home the Women's World Cup on Sunday night. They can't match the women's team's accomplishments in this Gold Cup tournament, but that doesn't mean they won't try to keep the country's momentum going with another trophy.
BEDOYA TROUBLES: One of the top players for the US over the past couple years has been Nantes midfielder Alejandro Bedoya. The 28-year-old's work rate and technical ability in the midfield stood out in games that the team didn't look their best in. Unfortunately for Bedoya, he is still trying to gain fitness after suffering a knee injury and missed the Guatemala match because of it. It's a big question mark if we will see the Ligue 1 veteran on Tuesday.
THE RIGHT PARTNERSHIP?: Despite the scoreline in the Guatemala game, USA's forward pairing of Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore weren't exactly firing on all cylinders. We didn't get to see much of the pairing at last year's World Cup due to Altidore's early injury, so this will be the first major tournament that the two should get the bulk of the playing time up top. If they can't figure it out against Honduras, could Klinsmann make a change and insert a hot Gyasi Zardes?
REPEAT PERFORMANCE?: Last Wednesday, Honduras played Mexico to a scoreless draw in Houston. They employed a five-man backline that new head man Jorge Luis Pinto deployed to perfection at the 2014 World Cup with Costa Rica. This defensive stability is quickly becoming a trend as Pinto's team has conceded just three goals over their last five games. They will look to shut down a lively US attack that has scored at least two goals in each of their last four games. If Los Catrachos can continue their sterling defensive work, it could have a lasting effect on the US' chances in this tournament.
