Honduras expose U.S. depth problems in 3-1 win

Charlie Davies, Clint Dempsey, Oguchi Onyewu, Jermaine Jones, and Jay DeMerit - the injury list it seems has been every growing for the U.S. team of late and it's not unreasonable to think there could be a few more additions before the start of the World Cup in June (something will we get into next week more in depth).

That's why last Saturday's game vs. Honduras was so important for the men's national team (MNT), it was a chance for Bob Bradley to assess many of the fringe players and see what kind of depth his team may have for what will eventually be the 23-man roster in South Africa.

The 3-1 thrashing at the hands of the of the first-string Hondurans was troubling on many levels despite a second-class U.S. team leaving more questions than answers for Bradley.

Like previously stated though none of the top 11 players were on hand to participate in the friendly exhibition, many players like Jimmy Conrad, Kyle Beckerman, Jonathan Bornstein, Benny Feilhaber (pictured above), Sacha Kljestan, Robbie Rogers, Jeff Cunningham, and Conor Casey are all players that are under serious consideration to fill out the roster and potentially even start should there be any more injury issues.

With the exception of perhaps Bornstein, who played relatively well at the left back position, and a generally solid effort by Beckerman at the holding midfield the MNT looked largely uninspired in its play.

The first major problem was the second yellow card handed Conrad in the 17th minute after the center back dragged down his man in the box instituting an immediate red card ejection.

This caused all sorts of issues not only because Carlos Pavon (pictured above) converted the ensuing penalty kick not once but twice (Honduras breached the box too son on his first conversion causing a re-kick), but from the standpoint that the U.S. had to drastically alter its formations.

What was an experiment to begin with quickly turned into an exercise of playing many players out of position such as Rogers who was asked to man the entire left flank as Bornstein was pushed into the middle.

Although the U.S. was able to push forward and earn several corners, on most occasions Cunningham was left to play by himself without any numbers in support the few times he was able to touch the ball. Feilhaber and Kljestian, two players the Americans were relying on to impose some kind of creative fortitude never delivered.

Honduras on the other hand had no problem sitting back and waiting for Feilhaber and the U.S. midfield to turn over the ball, and when they did the crafty Hondurans were there to make the MNT pay on the counter attack. After a Feilhaber sloppy five away in the 29th minute Honduras just missed an easy tap-in that goalie Troy Perkins was left for dead. In the 36th minute, another good combination by the Hondurans ended with another solid shot that whisked just left of the goal.

But in the 37th minute Pavon made the Americans pay again, this time unlocking the defense with a perfectly weighted pass between central defenders Chad Marshall and Bornstein for the diving header goal from Jerry Palacious. As was the case for much of the game, right back Marvell Wynne was burned on the play and left his defense scrambling on the play. It was a deserved ending to disastrous U.S. first half.

The second half opened with a bit more possession for the U.S. in the offensive end of the field, and Rogers nearly got the MNT back in the game with a long-range missile that rattled the post. However, Roger Espinoza put the finishing touches on the third Honduras goal after some brilliant triangle combination passing on the left side of the box.

Clarence Goodson (pictured right) would provide little consolation scoring the lone U.S. goal on a header off a corner by beating the Honduran keeper to the ball.

But what was most evident on the night was the chemistry between the players on the pitch was not there, communication and knowing where the runs were supposed to be were not there.

Chalk up the loss due to a second-class squad or due to Conrad's red very early in the game, which forced many U.S. players out of position.

In my opinion Honduras first-team was better when both teams were at even strength, and were far better up a man. That's not an issue very deep teams like England (who the U.S. open with), or Brazil or Holland or Germany or Spain or Italy or Argentina or the Ivory Coast or Portugal have to contend with. Put any one of those country's second string squad against the first-string Hondurans, and they would certainly put the tiny central American nation back on its heels. Unfortunately the U.S. clearly does not have that type of fire power.

Going down a man is something the U.S. may have to contend with at the World Cup like they did against Italy in the last World Cup because the MNT will certainly curry no favor as a decided under dog against the world's best.

Perhaps more will be learned from their next upcoming match late February with El Salvador when again many of the second string U.S. players will get their chances to make an impression. But come March 3 when the U.S. travels to Amsterdam to take on the Netherlands, the World Cup team should be in place. Until then it will be an interesting wait and see game.