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The United States men’s national team is off to a less-than-ideal start in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.
The USMNT drew the first two games and now faces a tough road trip to play Honduras on Wednesday.
To further complicate matters, midfielder Weston McKennie was sent home for violating COVID-19 protocols prior to Sunday’s home draw with Canada.
Additionally, the Americans will be without defender Sergino Dest because of injury and goalkeeper Zack Steffen because of a positive COVID-19 test.
Honduras comes into the clash with two points from a pair of road games against Canada and El Salvador.
USMNT vs. Honduras Info
Date: Wednesday, September 8
Start Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
TV: Telemundo, NBC Universo
Live Stream: Paramount Plus
Odds (via DraftKings Sportsbook): USMNT (-120; bet $120 to win $100); Honduras (+350; bet $100 to win $350); Draw (+215)
Preview
The USMNT entered World Cup qualifying with two trophies from the summer.
However, the shine from the victories over Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup wore off after the two draws against El Salvador and Canada.
The scoreless affair with El Salvador to open qualifying was an acceptable result, but the Americans did not improve in their 1-1 tie with Canada.
McKennie’s absence for the Canada match hurt the USMNT’s ability to control the game in midfield. Canada created most of its scoring chances through transition opportunities that McKennie might have been able to slow down.
Berhalter addressed the McKennie situation on Tuesday during his pre-match press conference, per MLSSoccer.com’s Tom Bogert:
San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Jackson Yueill was called into the USMNT squad as a replacement.
The USMNT did not replace the injured Dest, who suffered a right ankle sprain in the draw with Canada.
With limited options at full-back, Berhalter could shift to a three-man defense. He has an abundance of center-backs available to make that move. John Brooks, Walker Zimmerman, Miles Robinson, Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie and James Sands are the center-backs in camp.
Only Brooks started in the home match versus Canada, so he should be called upon to anchor the back line no matter the alignment.
Sands, a 21-year-old rising star at New York City FC, could receive an opportunity to shine.
Tyler Adams and Kellyn Acosta will likely patrol the center of midfield with McKennie not available, while Christian Pulisic will be involved in the attack in some capacity.
The biggest attacking question comes at forward, where the available options have been ineffective. Josh Sargent started against El Salvador, and Jordan Pefok began the match versus Canada up top, but neither player was able to find the back of the net.
Berhalter’s bold play would be to start the in-form Ricardo Pepi, who has 11 goals and two assists in 21 matches for FC Dallas. Starting an 18-year-old on the road in World Cup qualifying would be a risky move, but it could work.
As for Honduras, it is coming off a 1-1 draw with Canada and a scoreless result with El Salvador. Alex Lopez produced the only goal of the two matches with a 40th-minute penalty in Toronto.
The Honduran squad is headlined by CF Montreal striker Romell Quioto and Houston Dynamo midfielder Boniek Garcia.
During the last World Cup qualifying cycle, Honduras tied the USMNT 1-1 in San Pedro Sula and lost a 6-0 away game in San Jose, California.
Honduras has a four-game winless run that dates back to the Gold Cup group stage after falling to Mexico in the Gold Cup quarterfinals.
The USMNT should be able to get a result from the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano.
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