MetroStars midfielder Amado Guevara got his Honduras national team off to the best possible start, sending his side off to a 4-0 victory against Netherlands Antilles on Saturday night and advancement to the semifinal round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Honduras advanced 6-1 on aggregate with the victory, after winning the first leg 2-1 in Willemstad, Curacao last weekend.
Saturday night at the Estadio Olimpico in San Pedro Sula, Guevara opened the Honduras account in the ninth minute. David Suazo then doubled the lead in the first half (22), before second-half goals from Edgard Alvarez (49) and Carlos Pavon (70) completed the scoring.
The visitors were left with 10 men after just 35 minutes when Mexican referee Gilberto Alcala sent off Eugene Martha for violent conduct.
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HONDURAS: Héctor Medina, Maynor Suazo, Víctor Bernárdez, Mauricio Sabillón, Edgar Alvarez, Iván Guerrero, Julio César de León, Amado Guevara, Maynor Figueroa, Saúl Martínez, David Suazo.
ANTILLAS HOLANDESAS: Marcelo Pisas, Charlie Jones, Eugene Martha, Daniel Rijaar, Raymond Roos, Raymond Victoria, Juri Winklaar, Givanny Franken, Nelson Fauss, Rickman Siberie, Bernandino Hernández (Charles Bernardus, 68).
In the other CONCACAF qualifier on Saturday night, Mexico got their campaign toward Germany 2006 off to the best possible start when they hammered Dominica in the 'away' leg of their home-and-home series, played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Three players - Adolfo Bautista (9, 38), Jared Borgetti (11, 36) and Daniel Osorno (48, 87) - hit for two goals in the rout. The remainder of the Mexican goals were scored by Rafael Márquez (25), Jaime Lozano (74), Duilio Davino (77) and Juan Francisco Palencia (90).
The return match will be played June 27 at the Estadio Victoria in Aguascalientes.
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DOMINICA: Melvin Angol, George Dangler, Derwin Francies, Paul Victor (Russel Williams, 31), Fritz Frederick (Bishara Etienne, 57), Shane Marshall, Elry Cuffy, Terry Dyer (Ergel Smith, 45), Yanick Joseph, Vincent Casimir y Kelly Peters. DT. Leonel Deogal.
MEXICO: Oswaldo Sánchez, Héctor Altamirano (Jesús Arellano, 62), Rafael Márquez, Duilio Davino, Ricardo Osorio, Octavio Valdez, Gerardo Torrado (Jaime Lozano 61), Pavel Pardo, Francisco Palencia, Jared Borgetti (Daniel Osorno, 46) y Adolfo Bautista. DT. Ricardo La Volpe (ARG).
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
