With just four matches apiece remaining for each of the six teams in the CONCACAF World Cup fourth-round qualifying group, there's limited chances to earn a top-three place in the table and reach Brazil unscathed.
Mexico and Honduras will battle it out on Friday night for one of those three spots.
With a win, Honduras will move into sole possession of third place in the table. Conversely, a win for Mexico would give El Tri the comfort of controlling their own destiny.
According To ESPN's Paul Carr, the outcome of the match might also help the Americans be the first squad to officially lock up their spot in Brazil:
As Noted by Fox Soccer, there's no love lost between Honduras and Mexico:
El Tri are the only team in the table still without a loss, but they sit in third place behind the United States and Costa Rica with just one win in group qualifying action. Yes, your math is correct—Mexico has five draws in six CONCACAF matches.
One such draw came against Honduras in March, 2-2. In fact, Los Catrachos managed to get a point in the table when Mario Martinez recorded an equalizer in the 83rd minute.
As reported by ESPN's Tom Marshall, Mexico manager Jose Manuel (Chepo) de la Torre is confident Honduras will employ some of the same strategies El Tri's opponents have over the last few months:
Mexico have shown good form in last five matches, shaking off a Gold Cup loss to Panama by winning three straight and reaching the tournament semifinals. The Panamanians would go on to hand another loss to El Tri before they rebounded to defeat Ivory Coast on Aug. 14.
Honduras lost to Trinidad and Tobago and the United States at the Gold Cup, the latter of which was the last time we saw Los Catrachos in action.
Mexico City should be raucous and rowdy on Friday night. In preparation for this expected thriller, here's a match preview for Mexico-Honduras.
Match Information
Who: Mexico vs.. Honduras
What: CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying Fourth Round
When: Friday, Sept. 6, at 9:30 pm ET (8:30 pm local time)
Where: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico
Watch: ESPNews, UNIMAS
Referee: Roberto Moreno (PAN)
Match Squads
Goalkeepers: Jose de Jesus Corona (Cruz Azul), Alfredo Talavera (Toluca), Jonathan Orozco (Monterrey)
Defenders: Severo Meza (Monterrey), Hiram Ricardo Mier (Monterrey), Francisco Rodriguez (America), Diego Reyes (Porto), Hector Moreno (Espanyol), Carlos Salcido (Tigres), Jorge Torres Nilo (Tigres)
Midfielders: Jesus Zavala (Monterrey), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul), Hector Herrera (Porto), Christian Gimenez (Cruz Azul), Fernando Arce (Tijuana), Andres Guardado (Valencia)
Forwards: Giovani Dos Santos (Villarreal), Javier Aquino (Villarreal), Angel Reyna (Veracruz), Damian Alvarez (Tigers), Oribe Peralta (Santos), Javier Hernandez (Manchester United), Raul Jimenez (America)
Goalkeepers: Noel Valladares (Olimpia), Donis Escober (Olimpia) and Kevin Hernandez.
Defenders: Maynor Figueroa (Hull City), Osman Chavez (Wilsa Krakow), Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic Glasgow), Victor Bernardez (San Jose Earthquakes), Juan Carlos Garcia (Wigan Athletic), Nery Medina (Olimpia), Juan Pablo Montes (Motagua ) and Brayan Beckeles (Olimpia) and Arnold Peralta (Rangers).
Midfielders: Jorge Claros (Motagua), Marvin Chavez (San Jose Earthquakes), Boniek Garcia (Houston Dynamo), Roger Espinoza (Wigan Athletic), Luis Garrido (Olimpia), Wilson Palacios (Stoke City), Edgard Alvarez (Platense), Andy Najar (Anderlecht).
Forwards: Georgie Welcome (Motagua), Rony Martínez (Real Sociedad), Jerry Bengtson (New England Revolution), Carlo Costly (Guizhou Zhicheng), Jerry Palacios (Liga Deportiva Alajuelense).
CONCACAF Group Standings (as of 09/05/13)
* Via FIFA.com.
Top Storyline
Must-Win Match for Mexico/Manager Situation
Alliteration aside, there's only one way Mexico can control its own destiny over their last three matches.
They must take three points against Honduras.
Backlash from earlier draws is starting to set in. While better than a loss, Mexico's inability to finish on the attack and struggle with keeping leads have been staggering. Add it all up, and Chepo's job could very well hinge on this outcome.
Chepo already proclaimed that Mexico is a lock for Brazil. Anything less would be a failure. As such, a loss that puts El Tri behind the eight ball could very well be his undoing.
SB Nation's Kevin McCauley is surprised the Mexican manager has lasted this long:
To make matters worse, the announcement of Mexico's roster sans two of their top players does not promote the notion that stars are thrilled to be growing under Chepo's tutelage. Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl confirmed that idea on Twitter:
That being said, Chepo still has a job. There's a match to win, and El Tri's World Cup chances hang in the balance. If the heat from the seat was not enough to put in a tough spot Chepo, B/R's Jack Rathborn had another aspect of the lineup the manager will need to decided on:
Honduras must smell blood in the water before stepping foot on the Estadio Azteca. But El Tri have talent from top to bottom, and will be more focused than ever on putting their opponent away for good.
Prediction
In a must-win situation and a hostile environment, Mexico is a dangerous side.
Featuring some of the top players from Liga MX, El Tri have a good mix of talent to dispatch against a Honduras side that was outclassed by Team USA in the Gold Cup semifinals.
Honduras gets a goal at some point in the match, but Mexico finally realizes some of their potential and puts Los Catrachos away for good with two second-half goals.
Mexico 3, Honduras 1
