Honduras has never won a match at the World Cup. The team reached the group stage in both 1982 and 2010 but failed to overcome any of their rivals. The team is in a tough group with both Switzerland and France, who will both prove difficult to overcome. However, as a small nation the team will take pride in having made it to the Group Stage and if they can manage even one victory their return will be met with resounding celebration.
Style
Coach Luis Fernando Suarez tends to play the team in 4-2-3-1 formation. Under Suarez the team has become more consistent and has been getting some good results. It is common to see the squad’s fullbacks running forwards and joining the attack. The team tends to make use of individual’s technical ability whilst still working together as a group on defence.
Strengths
The Honduras team demonstrated its ability to score during qualifying. They were particularly good at scoring late in games, with 28% of their goals coming in the last 15 minutes of a match. The team was also good at scoring from corners and impressively they didn’t concede a single goal from corners either. Defensively the team was most impressive on the left side; only five teams conceded a smaller proportion of goals from that area.
Weaknesses
While the team can score it did fail to do so in 38% of qualifying games, the worst result from all participating teams. Furthermore, the team conceded two or more goals in 31% of matches.
While the team is fairly dependable all round, it is lacking star quality in every area which will ultimately let them down. The team is missing the type of players required to win major games.
World Cup Group Stage
- France vs Honduras – Sunday, 15 June 2014 Match Preview
- Honduras vs Ecuador – Friday, 20 June 2014 Match Preview
- Honduras vs Switzerland – Wednesday, 25 June 2014 Match Preview