USA vs Honduras | Gold Cup Preview

  

USA vs. Honduras
2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
July 7 | 9:30 pm ET | Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Tex.
TV: FOX Sports 1, UniMás, UDN

The US national team begin their Gold Cup title defense on Tuesday night against Honduras. They will be playing in front of a sold-out crowd at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, the first time they will be playing at FC Dallas' home stadium since 2007.

USA come into the match riding high after a 4-0 trouncing of Guatemala last Friday night and they will look to continue that momentum against a Honduras team that has had a rough go of it since the World Cup.

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EXTRA MOTIVATION: Not only does Jurgen Klinsmann's team come into this game on a four-game winning streak, but they also should be feeling a lot of pride for their country after watching their counterparts take home the Women's World Cup on Saturday night. They can't match the women's team's accomplishments in this Gold Cup tournament, but that doesn't mean they won't try to keep the country's momentum going with another trophy.

BEDOYA TROUBLES: One of the top players for the US over the past couple years has been Nantes midfielder Alejandro Bedoya. The 28-year-old's work rate and technical ability in the midfield stood out in games that the team didn't look their best in. Unfortunately for Bedoya, he is still trying to gain fitness after suffering a knee injury and missed the Guatemala match because of it. It's a big question mark if we will see the Ligue 1 veteran on Tuesday

THE RIGHT PARTNERSHIP?: Despite the scoreline in the Guatemala game, USA's forward pairing of Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore weren't exactly firing on all cylinders. We didn't get to see much of the pairing at last year's World Cup due to Altidore's early injury, so this will be the first major tournament that the two should get the bulk of the playing time up top. If they can't figure it out against Honduras, could Klinsmann make a change and insert a hot Gyasi Zardes?

REPEAT PERFORMANCE?: Last Wednesday, Honduras played Mexico to a scoreless draw in Houston. They employed a five-man backline that new head man Jorge Luis Pinto deployed to perfection at the 2014 World Cup with Costa Rica. This defensive stability is quickly becoming a trend as Pinto's team has conceded just three goals over their last five games. They will look to shut down a lively US attack that has scored at least two goals in each of their last four games. If Los Catrachos can continue their sterling defensive work, it could have a lasting effect on the US' chances in this tournament.

Gold Cup Preview: United States - Honduras

Ahead of its Gold Cup opener with Honduras, Jurgen Klinsmann has called on his USA team to raise its game

Jurgen Klinsmann believes the United States will need to raise its game if the CONCACAF Gold Cup host is to make a strong start to the defense of the title against Honduras.

Klinsmann's men won the Gold Cup in 2013 courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Panama in the final and are second-favorites behind Mexico to lift the trophy again.

The U.S. has been drawn alongside Panama in Group A along with Haiti and Honduras, and begins its campaign versus the latter in Frisco on Tuesday.

Klinsmann's side finalized its preparations for the tournament with a 4-0 win over Guatemala last Saturday. Yet the German boss remains far from satisfied with the level his side is playing at.

"We have to talk to the players in a team context and also talk to them on an individual basis and take it from there," Klinsmann said. "We have four days to prepare for a game against Honduras. If you guys had a chance to watch them play Mexico two days ago, you can expect a very, very nasty game from Honduras, a very aggressive and difficult game."

"We'll talk through that the next couple of days. We have to step it up. We have to step it up in order to get three points on Tuesday night. It's a very tricky preparation for the competition because our European and Mexican-based players are coming from a break and MLS is in full swing, but also our MLS players had a couple issues.

"This is what we've got to go through, and the next couple of days we'll get everyone on the same page and face a very tough Honduran team on Tuesday night."

Honduras lost 3-1 to the USA in the semifinals in 2013, and goes into this year's competition having lost just one of its last five games. The Central Americans held Mexico to a scoreless draw last week. 

Despite that run of form, head coach Jorge Luis Pinto sees much room for his improvement as the former Costa Rica coach aims to lead Honduras to its first final since the inaugural Gold Cup in 1991, where it lost to the USA on penalties.

"We have changed a lot," Pinto said. "I feel that the team plays more with the ball and suddenly is more tactical and looks to play faster football. They will see teams like the United States and Costa Rica to which we'll give a fight. There are fundamental things that need to improve."