Post-match: Slide Show Analysis: Honduras - USMNT 2-1 / Feb'13 / WCQ'14

Technically, we have less than 8 months. February is done, and the Hexagonal ends on October 15. Sometime in the next 7.5 months the team has to get enough of it's act together to qualify for the World Cup.

 

You misunderstood. I'm not worried about qualifying. They don't have to win the HEX or even come in 2nd or 3rd. Even in 4th I'd be nervous but they would beat New Zealand. Especially considering LD and/or Stu will be back before then. While not ideal, the idea is to peak in the summer of 2014 not now. There is still time and room for error.

I'm quite confident the starting 11 for the first match in Brazil will be quite different than what we saw in Honduras. No Williams or EJ to being with and likely one or two other differences. We can all take comfort in that.

 

I'm calling it...the US will miss the World cup, it will almost exactly mirror the efforts of the U23's. Play itself out of matches by neglecting important defensive and formation principles all over the pitch. It comes out later that Marteen Vazquez uses a checker board to explain tactics to the team. It turns out JK in a scrimmage against the first team scores 3 goals demoralizing the team even further.

This will force the USSF to call for Sunil's resignation and turn to Bob Bradley as interim president and with his first act he selects Dom Kinnear as USMNT head coach. The US plows through qualies with an unbeaten record and loses in the WC quarterfinal 3-2 to a resurgent Dutch team after having defeated a sluggish Uruguay team 3-1. All goals scores by the US were either on set pieces or through the air.