USMNT schedule: TV, start time for World Cup qualifier vs. Honduras
Who: United States (0-2-0, 0 points) vs. Honduras (1-1-0, 3 points)
What: CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, final round
Where: Avaya Stadium, San Jose, Calif.
When: Friday, 10.50 p.m. ET
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TV: FS1, UniMas and UDN
What to watch
Home comforts
Playing at Avaya Stadium, with a capacity of 18,000, instead of the cavernous of Levi Stadium in nearby Santa Clara is by design. Smaller, more intimate venues allow U.S. Soccer to exercise greater control over ticket sales, ensuring a loud and patriotic home crowd. Capitalizing on home advantage has historically been a U.S. strong point. Now it is needed more than ever against a Honduras side that is far from outstanding on the road.
Injury issues
The U.S. has reasonable depth but that is being tested this week, with key men Bobby Wood and Fabian Johnson ruled out of action. Goalkeeper Brad Guzan and a string of right-sided defenders are also absent. How the replacements stack up could go a long way toward determining the outcome.
New coach, new look
The firing of coach Jurgen Klinsmann and subsequent appointment of Bruce Arena has led to a bigger reliance on players from Major League Soccer and is likely to spark a grittier, no-nonsense approach. Arena’s style may not always be pretty, but neither fans of the national team nor his employers will complain if it gets the campaign back on track.