Honduras at the World Cup 2010

 Manager: Reinaldo Rueda
Captain: Amado  Guevara
FIFA Ranking: 40
World Cup Appearances: 1
Best World Cup: Round 1 – 1982

Honduras Team Profile

The Hondurans, in just their second ever World Cup, will have been pleased with their group in that it’s competitive enough that they could maybe spring a surprise with progression, while the dream fixture will be the one with the 2008 European Champions Spain.

As we’ve already mentioned, this will be just the second time Honduras will play in a World Cup after a 28 year drought without one. They are a surprise inclusion as very few fancied their chances in the North American qualifying sector, while Los Catrachos needed a huge slice of luck elsewhere to seal their progression, as a late USA goal against Costa Rica sparked frantic celebration over in Honduras. They’ll feel the Gods were looking down on them that day, and with the footballing Gods apparently on their side, they’ll head to South Africa with plenty of optimism aiming to bypass a fairly average Group H. Of course, Spain will be a tough assignment and one they look destined to fail in, but Chile and Switzerland aren’t the strongest of nation and so rightly so Honduras will fancy their chances of springing a genuine surprise in South Africa.

Nickname: Los Catrachos

Honduras Key Players

The majority of the Honduras team aren’t household names, while those of you who follow the main band of European league might recognise a few. The stand outs, though, are Amado Guevara (Captain), Wilson Palacios, David Suazo and their all-time leading scorer Carlos Pavon. The latter is 36 years of age but still manage to accumulate seven goals in nine qualifiers for his country, and while he may not have the freshest pair of legs, his experience and wisdom will be influential for the rest of the team.

Everyone should know what Wilson Palacios is all about. He’s one of the more professional players in the Premier League at his club Tottenham Hotspur. He simply sits in the centre of the field, calmly collecting the ball and distributing it all around the pitch. Palacios goes about his business in quite manner, but he’s effective at what he does and without him in the side Honduras would struggle to retain possession.

Carlos Pavon took most of the limelight with his 7 goals in 9 qualifiers, but he was amply assisted by Genoa’s David Suazo, who has been around the block with some big clubs in Europe, and he too has valuable experience and know-how which will aid Honduras well in South Africa in front of goal.

Justin Leon is another player to keep an eye out for, as his pace down the left flank will enable Honduras to puss forward more and exploit the full-back areas. He will look to bomb forward, hit the byline and deliver a telling cross in an area where either Pavon or Suazo can pounce.

Strengths

I would say undoubtedly their experienced forward duo of Carlos Pavon and David Suazo. They’ve experienced the big time at club level, while they’ve been in the Honduras team long enough to know where the through balls will go and where the crosses will land. Honduras have two smart and intelligent forwards at the forefront of their attack, two players which know how to sniff out a chance. The pair are proper goal-getters and will be valuable to Honduras over the course of the summer.

Weaknesses

Seeing as we haven’t seen too much of them, the lack of strength within the deeper reaches of the squad would be a concern, while the unfamiliarity of their defence will also spring a few doubts. Moreover, the fact they’ve scraped through qualification by the skin of teeth means they are the worst of the three North American teams in South Africa, which considering North American football isn’t the strongest, doesn’t bode at all well.

World Cup Potential: 1/5

We’re certain the Hondurans (Not an official nickname, but we’re sure it will catch on soon enough) will be a spirited bunch, and their travelling support of Honduras followers will make for a party atmosphere on the sidelines. Their two experienced forwards give them half-a-chance of perhaps nicking a few points off either Chile and Switzerland, but progression from the group would be a real surprise and an unlikely scenario. Even so, they’ll give their all and could well be a nation the neutrals pledge their vow of support to. After all, everyone loves an underdog.

Honduras World Cup Betting Odds

Honduras to win the World Cup: 1500  Bet365

Before the World Cup the odds on Honduras were 1000/1 

Official Honduras World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Noel Valladares (Olimpia)

Donis Escober (Olimpia)

Ricardo Canales (Motagua)

Defenders

Sergio Mendoza (Motagua)

Emilio Izaguirre (Motagua)

Mauricio Sabillon (Hangzhou Greentown/China)

Osman Chavez (Platense)

Johnny Palacios (Olimpia)

Maynor Figueroa (Wigan Athletic)

Victor Bernardez (RSC Anderlecht)

Midfielders

Danilo Turcios (Olimpia)

Hendry Thomas (Wigan Athletic)

Edgard Alvarez (AS Bari)

Roger Espinoza (Kansas City Wizards)

Amado Guevara (Motagua)

Wilson Palacios (Tottenham Hotspur)

Julia Cesar de Leon (Torino)

Oscar Boniek Garcia (Olimpia)

Strikers

Walter Martinez (Marathon)

Georgie Welcom (Motagua)

Ramon Nunez (Olimpia)

Carlos Pavon (Real Espana)

David Suazo (FC Genoa)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Honduras Fixtures – Group H

World Cup 2010 Group H - Table

World Cup Fixtures and Results

Group H World Cup Betting Preview: The favourites for the 2010 FIFA World Cup go in Group H of the competition, which has a very Hispanic flavour to it.

World Cup Teams: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

This could possibly be one of the most entertaining groups of South Africa 2010, simply because of the style of football which will be played throughout. Spain have long been favourites to break their duck and lift the World Cup, as they have grown in stature over the past couple of years, winning Euro 2008 and cruising through their European Qualification group. In 2008 they hit the top of the FIFA World Rankings for the first time ever and have not looked back. The Spaniards barely broke a sweat, or so it seemed at times, in reaching the historic tournament in South Africa, with star striker David Villa chipping in with a healthy tally of seven goals. Betting on Spain at the World Cup looks like a fairly safe bet, as they ooze quality throughout their side, and it is hard to see any weaknesses there. They went through qualification in what could have been a tricky group, without dropping a single point. Their ten wins from ten games, came along with 28 goals scored (second highest behind England’s 34) and conceding just five. Only Holland, in their abridged group, qualified with a 100% record. Arsenal’s star midfielder Cesc Fabregas is expected to be fit in time for the Spanish World Cup campaign, and when you plug him into a team which can field Xabi Alonso, Andres Iniesta, Fernando Torres, Sergio Ramos, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique and Xavi, to name a few, the sheer talent on display looks formidable. They travelled to the Stade de France to take on France in a friendly in March, running out 2-0 winners and making the French look terribly unorganised and unprepared for a major tournament. Spain will begin their World Cup Fixtures, under the guidance of coach Vicente del Bosque, against European side Switzerland. Where in the past there have always been questions over consistency and big match mentality, Spain are firm favourites in World Cup Betting to take home the trophy. The closest they have gotten before is three Quarter Final exits. Standing in their way first is Switzerland, who sprang something of a surprise in winning their qualification group ahead of Greece. Switzerland may unleash a wealth of young talent in their quest to qualify from the group behind Spain, and they have the advantage of having a master technician leading them, in the guise of coach Ottmar Hitzfeld. The tough qualification group will have instilled the Swiss with a good sense of determination, grit and fight, as the battle pretty much went down to the wire. The Swiss only lost one match in winning the group, and should be tough opponents as they take on the European Champions in their opening fixture. They do have a chance of getting out of the group, but if they lose the first game heavily, it could destroy their confidence. Chile are seen as a much stronger threat to Spain, and rightly so. The South American side pushed Brazil all the way in qualification, finishing just one point behind them, and finishing just one goal shy of Brazil’s tally as well. This makes Chile a threat, possibly one of the strongest dark horses. There is a strong contingent coming from South America, with Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Argentina all heading to South Africa. Chile’s second place finish in qualification may have been a bit of surprise, but they are certainly not a team to be discounted, with Humberto Suazo a deadly threat up front. Honduras are only making their second appearance at the world cup, after scraping into the third automatic qualification spot in the CONCACAF zone behind the USA and Mexico. Probably the weakest side in the group, but their fans will be buoyant as they look to impress on the greatest stage of World football.

Group H| Betting Stats (World Cup History form in brackets)
(Final outcomes of Golden Goal, Extra Time and Penalty Shoot Out results count as wins or losses)

Spain: Super strong and clear favourites to win in South Africa. They have beaten Switzerland twice before at the World Cup, drew once with Honduras in ‘82, and have beaten Chile in their only encounter. So one of the rare occasions where a team has encountered all of their group opposition before in World Cup history. Does not look to be anything to fear. (P49, W23, D9, L17)

Switzerland: The Helvetians will be hoping for better things against Spain than their previous two World Cup encounters, which both ended in defeats. They have also lost to Chile once, back in 1962. Have not encountered Honduras before. (P26, W8, D4, L14)

Chile: They finished in third place in 1962 if you were thinking the South Americans didn’t have any great World Cup history. Haven’t come close to repeating it though. Will fancy their chances as they have beaten Switzerland before, which could be the crunch match this time around. Never played Honduras at the World Cup, and have lost once to Spain. (P25, W7, D6, L12)

Honduras: Only their second appearance, and have only encountered Spain before out of their 2010 group rivals. Held Spain to a 1-1 after going ahead in the match in 1982. Looking to win their first World Cup match. (P3, W0, D2, L1)

World Cup Group H - Table

Group Stage Fixture List

World Cup Betting at Stan James for Outright Winner of Group H, has Chile at 4/1, Switzerland at 9/1, Honduras at 22/1 and Spain are favourites at 1/3 (and 7/2 to Win the World Cup Outright).

 Manager: Reinaldo Rueda
Captain: Amado  Guevara
FIFA Ranking: 40
World Cup Appearances: 1
Best World Cup: Round 1 – 1982

Honduras Team Profile

The Hondurans, in just their second ever World Cup, will have been pleased with their group in that it’s competitive enough that they could maybe spring a surprise with progression, while the dream fixture will be the one with the 2008 European Champions Spain.

As we’ve already mentioned, this will be just the second time Honduras will play in a World Cup after a 28 year drought without one. They are a surprise inclusion as very few fancied their chances in the North American qualifying sector, while Los Catrachos needed a huge slice of luck elsewhere to seal their progression, as a late USA goal against Costa Rica sparked frantic celebration over in Honduras. They’ll feel the Gods were looking down on them that day, and with the footballing Gods apparently on their side, they’ll head to South Africa with plenty of optimism aiming to bypass a fairly average Group H. Of course, Spain will be a tough assignment and one they look destined to fail in, but Chile and Switzerland aren’t the strongest of nation and so rightly so Honduras will fancy their chances of springing a genuine surprise in South Africa.

Nickname: Los Catrachos

Honduras Key Players

The majority of the Honduras team aren’t household names, while those of you who follow the main band of European league might recognise a few. The stand outs, though, are Amado Guevara (Captain), Wilson Palacios, David Suazo and their all-time leading scorer Carlos Pavon. The latter is 36 years of age but still manage to accumulate seven goals in nine qualifiers for his country, and while he may not have the freshest pair of legs, his experience and wisdom will be influential for the rest of the team.

Everyone should know what Wilson Palacios is all about. He’s one of the more professional players in the Premier League at his club Tottenham Hotspur. He simply sits in the centre of the field, calmly collecting the ball and distributing it all around the pitch. Palacios goes about his business in quite manner, but he’s effective at what he does and without him in the side Honduras would struggle to retain possession.

Carlos Pavon took most of the limelight with his 7 goals in 9 qualifiers, but he was amply assisted by Genoa’s David Suazo, who has been around the block with some big clubs in Europe, and he too has valuable experience and know-how which will aid Honduras well in South Africa in front of goal.

Justin Leon is another player to keep an eye out for, as his pace down the left flank will enable Honduras to puss forward more and exploit the full-back areas. He will look to bomb forward, hit the byline and deliver a telling cross in an area where either Pavon or Suazo can pounce.

Strengths

I would say undoubtedly their experienced forward duo of Carlos Pavon and David Suazo. They’ve experienced the big time at club level, while they’ve been in the Honduras team long enough to know where the through balls will go and where the crosses will land. Honduras have two smart and intelligent forwards at the forefront of their attack, two players which know how to sniff out a chance. The pair are proper goal-getters and will be valuable to Honduras over the course of the summer.

Weaknesses

Seeing as we haven’t seen too much of them, the lack of strength within the deeper reaches of the squad would be a concern, while the unfamiliarity of their defence will also spring a few doubts. Moreover, the fact they’ve scraped through qualification by the skin of teeth means they are the worst of the three North American teams in South Africa, which considering North American football isn’t the strongest, doesn’t bode at all well.

World Cup Potential: 1/5

We’re certain the Hondurans (Not an official nickname, but we’re sure it will catch on soon enough) will be a spirited bunch, and their travelling support of Honduras followers will make for a party atmosphere on the sidelines. Their two experienced forwards give them half-a-chance of perhaps nicking a few points off either Chile and Switzerland, but progression from the group would be a real surprise and an unlikely scenario. Even so, they’ll give their all and could well be a nation the neutrals pledge their vow of support to. After all, everyone loves an underdog.

Honduras World Cup Betting Odds

Honduras to win the World Cup: 1500  Bet365

Before the World Cup the odds on Honduras were 1000/1 

Official Honduras World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Noel Valladares (Olimpia)

Donis Escober (Olimpia)

Ricardo Canales (Motagua)

Defenders

Sergio Mendoza (Motagua)

Emilio Izaguirre (Motagua)

Mauricio Sabillon (Hangzhou Greentown/China)

Osman Chavez (Platense)

Johnny Palacios (Olimpia)

Maynor Figueroa (Wigan Athletic)

Victor Bernardez (RSC Anderlecht)

Midfielders

Danilo Turcios (Olimpia)

Hendry Thomas (Wigan Athletic)

Edgard Alvarez (AS Bari)

Roger Espinoza (Kansas City Wizards)

Amado Guevara (Motagua)

Wilson Palacios (Tottenham Hotspur)

Julia Cesar de Leon (Torino)

Oscar Boniek Garcia (Olimpia)

Strikers

Walter Martinez (Marathon)

Georgie Welcom (Motagua)

Ramon Nunez (Olimpia)

Carlos Pavon (Real Espana)

David Suazo (FC Genoa)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Honduras Fixtures – Group H

World Cup Group H - Table

World Cup Fixtures and Results

World Cup Group of Honduras