The U.S. has just two points from its first two qualifiers and knows it needs more, playing amid some injury and disciplinary adversity in San Pedro Sula.
As much as a game that's the third into a 14-game gauntlet can be a must-win, such are the circumstances for the U.S. men's national team in World Cup qualifying vs. Panama on Wednesday night in Honduras.
The U.S., fresh off a pair of draws at El Salvador and at home vs. Canada, takes on Los Catrachos in San Pedro Sula knowing that anything less than a win would put its quest to qualify for Qatar 2022 in serious peril. Compounding the results have been injuries to key players (Gio Reyna, Sergiño Dest) and discipline to a team leader (Weston McKennie), leaving manager Gregg Berhalter in need of some outside-the-box options for the key match.
Those options include handing starts to four players who have never appeared in a World Cup qualifier (Ricardo Pepi, George Bello, James Sands, Mark McKenzie) and opting for a 3-4-3 formation in hopes of jump-starting an attack that has mustered just one goal in two matches. The U.S. could only tally an 89th-minute goal against Honduras in their last meeting, with Jordan Pefok's header sending the Americans to the Concacaf Nations League final on a 1-0 victory in June.
Stay tuned here for live updates and highlights of goals and key plays from throughout the match (refresh for most recent updates).
Here are the lineups for both sides:
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The U.S. has just two points from its first two qualifiers and knows it needs more, playing amid some injury and disciplinary adversity in San Pedro Sula.
As much as a game that's the third into a 14-game gauntlet can be a must-win, such are the circumstances for the U.S. men's national team in World Cup qualifying vs. Panama on Wednesday night in Honduras.
The U.S., fresh off a pair of draws at El Salvador and at home vs. Canada, takes on Los Catrachos in San Pedro Sula knowing that anything less than a win would put its quest to qualify for Qatar 2022 in serious peril. Compounding the results have been injuries to key players (Gio Reyna, Sergiño Dest) and discipline to a team leader (Weston McKennie), leaving manager Gregg Berhalter in need of some outside-the-box options for the key match.
Those options include handing starts to four players who have never appeared in a World Cup qualifier (Ricardo Pepi, George Bello, James Sands, Mark McKenzie) and opting for a 3-4-3 formation in hopes of jump-starting an attack that has mustered just one goal in two matches. The U.S. could only tally an 89th-minute goal against Honduras in their last meeting, with Jordan Pefok's header sending the Americans to the Concacaf Nations League final on a 1-0 victory in June.
Stay tuned here for live updates and highlights of goals and key plays from throughout the match (refresh for most recent updates).
Here are the lineups for both sides:
More Soccer Coverage:
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