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It's all come to this for Jurgen Klinsmann and the U.S. Men's National Team. After a disappointing, if ultimately successful, semi-final round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying, the final, Hexagonal round kicks off this afternoon in Honduras. With Andy Najar out injured and Bill Hamid left off the roster, there won't be any D.C. United presence in the game, but MLS players will certainly abound for both countries.
Time: 4 pm EST
TV: beIN Sport, on both their English and Spanish feeds. If you only have access to the Spanish channel, try hitting the SAP button on your remote, and you may be able to get the English audio feed. Click to find out if you get beIN Sport and what channel it's on.
Venue: Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Projected Honduras Lineup: Unlike the U.S. lineup, which will be a shot in the dark a few lines down this page, we already know Honduras' lineup, courtesy of manager Luis Fernando Suárez. It'll be: Valladares; Peralta, Bernardez, Figeroa, J.C. Garcia; O.B. Garcia, Garrido, Espinoza, Martinez; Bengtston, Costly.
Projected U.S. Lineup: Much like the Canada game, this lineup is a little bit tricky, but for different reasons. We know Tim Howard will be in goal, and a back four of Timmy Chandler, Geoff Cameron, captain Carlos Bocanegra and Fabian Johnson is more than likely. After that, we don't know whether Klinsy will keep the Bradley-esque bucket formation from the first half of the Canada friendly or will revert to his usual modified 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 with a free role given to the left mid. I think we'll see the latter, so we should expect a central midfield trio of Danny Williams (despite his lack of playing time with his club), Michael Bradley and (pains me to say it) Jermaine Jones. Jozy Altidore will get the start at the #9 with Clint Dempsey in the left-side free role. I'll flip a coin and say that Herculez Gomez gets the nod on the right.
Video Preview from SB Nation:
Prediction: The USMNT has had trouble creating chances under Jurgen Klinsmann, and with Honduras' generally strong spine, I think that will be the case again today. I figure La Bicolor takes advantage of a defensive miscue to go up in the first half, but los Gringos pull it back in the second half. The game ends all square at 1-1.
What Are You Drinking?: I think I'll probably be at the Pug in H Street for today's festivities - drop by and say hey if you're in the area - so I'll have some kind of craft brew in hand, depending on what they have on the menu.
As always, this is your place for pre-game, in-game and post-game discussion.
