USA faces Honduras on Tuesday in a World Cup qualifier match. The match begins at 9 p.m. ET. Tune into ESPN or watch the live stream HERE.
USA can further extend their lead at the top of the CONCACAF standings and get closer to guaranteeing a spot in the 2014 World Cup by winning on Tuesday. They face a depleted Honduras team but that doesn't change how serious the team is taking the match, Goal.com reports.
"It won't impact how we approach it at all," USA midfielder Michael Bradley told reporters on Monday. "It's still Honduras and it's still 90 minutes to go out and try to win the game. As far as who plays for them, who doesn't, who's injured, who ends up being able to play, it doesn't change anything for us."
Honduras will be without its retinue of quality starters. Boniek Garcia and Maynor Figueroa are out with injuries; defender Victor Bernardez and midfielder Luis Garrido are suspended; forward Jerry Bengtson left the team following a disagreement with manager Luis Fernando Suarez over getting benched in the team's last qualifier against Jamaica.
With the many absences on their roster, Honduras will find itself relying on players such as Roger Espinoza and Mario Martinez.
"I have great things to say about Roger, I think he's a really good player," USA defender Matt Besler told reporters of his former Sporting Kansas City teammate. "I think he's got a terrific engine and he's a valuable member of that team. He's a guy we're going to have to keep an eye on and make sure that we match his intensity."
USA midfielder Brad Evans is familiar with Honduras' Martinez: they're teammates in Seattle.
"I've seen the things that he can do day in and day out in Seattle and there are some things that are just world class," Evans told reporters. "He's a very, very good player with his left foot, he's extremely tricky, and you never know if he's going to cut it back."
USA lost to Honduras in February, 2-1. USA manager Jurgen Klinsmann isn't expecting Tuesday's qualifier to be easy.
"...We know it's going to be a hell of a lot of work."
