As Honduras goes through political turmoil, the country's soccer team will face the U.S. in a Gold Cup semifinal.
By MICHELLE KAUFMAN
mkaufman@MiamiHerald.com
Honduran soccer fans, seeking a diversion from their nation's political crisis, will have their eyes on Chicago's Soldier Field Thursday night as Honduras faces the United States in a Gold Cup semifinal.
More than 30,000 tickets have been sold, and a large number of Hondurans is expected for the 7 p.m. match, which will be televised on the Fox Soccer Channel. The teams have played twice in recent months, and the U.S. won both matches -- a 2-0 win in the Gold Cup first round, and a come-from-behind, 2-1 victory in a World Cup qualifier.
``This tournament has been a real challenge for us and will continue to be with a semifinal against the United States,'' said Honduras coach Reinaldo Rueda, a native of Colombia. ``Aside from the professional and soccer aspect of it, we know that we have a political, social conflict in our country, and we are all committed to contribute to peace and tranquility there.
``This group of young men has offered the people this result of being in the semifinals, and we just hope to keep getting better.''
Most of the nation's attention has been focused on ousted President Manuel Zelaya, who is trying to regain power after the Honduran military removed him from office. The Gold Cup has been a welcome respite from the crisis, and Honduran fans have shown up in big numbers, waving their blue and white flags.
The ``Catrachos,'' derived from the name of a famous Honduran general, are coming off a quarterfinal win over Canada, and now run into a young U.S. team that has gelled remarkably well considering it trained together for just three days before the tournament began. The U.S., using a different squad from the team that played in the Confederations Cup, has had nine different players score.
The Gold Cup is a regional tournament, not as prestigious as the Confederations Cup, but it is important to players vying for World Cup rosters.
Former Miami Fusion players Jay Heaps and Kyle Beckerman are among the U.S. players hoping their Gold Cup performance will catch coach Bob Bradley's attention and lead to a shot at the World Cup team. Among the others auditioning for a spot on the ``A'' roster are Santino Quaranta, Davy Arnaud, Kenny Cooper and Stuart Holden.
The Gold Cup has served as a launching pad for a few U.S. World Cup players. In 2005, Jimmy Conrad's Gold Cup play helped earn him a spot on the 2006 World Cup roster. Pablo Mastroeni made the 2002 World Cup team partly because of his performance in the Gold Cup.
This year, defender Michael Parkhurst returned from Denmark to rejoin the team after Conrad suffered a concussion. Parkhurst played against Honduras and Haiti. Also, Chicago Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch was added to the roster as a backup to Troy Perkins. The previous No. 2 goalie, Luis Robles, returned to Kaiserslauten for the Bundesliga season.
Bradley is expecting a tough match from a spirited Honduras squad that is extra-motivated because of the political turmoil back home.
``We know them well and we know the way they play,'' Bradley said. ``They play hard and have a good group of players. You can tell in this tournament the group they have has put a lot into it, so we expect a hard game.''
Mexico plays Costa Rica in the other semifinal at Soldier Field. Costa Rica has surpassed Mexico as a regional power, and the Mexicans are desperate to earn respect again. They are coming off a 4-0 win over Haiti in the quarterfinals. Among their top players are Miguel Sabah, the tournament's leading scorer, and Giovani Dos Santos. Costa Rica features a new star, 21-year-old Celso Borges, a midfielder who plays in Norway.
The winners Thursday advance to the Gold Cup final Sunday at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
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