MIAMI, Florida – The 2021 Concacaf Nations League Finals are on the horizon and football fans in the region will be in for a treat in the first semifinal when the United States take on Honduras on June 3 in Denver, Colorado.
The two sides are no strangers when it comes to facing off in big Concacaf tournaments. Dating back to the 2009 Concacaf Gold Cup, the U.S. and Honduras have played each other five times in either the Gold Cup or the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship, and the results are as close as they come.
After previously meeting in the 2009 Gold Cup group stage, the U.S. and Honduras would clash again in the 2009 Gold Cup semifinals at Soldier Field in Chicago and the U.S. would pocket a 2-0 victory thanks to a Clarence Goodson goal in the 45’ and a Kenny Cooper score in the 90’.
Four years later in the 2013 Gold Cup, the U.S. and Honduras would face off again in the semifinals, this time at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Eddie Johnson’s goal in the 11’ gave the U.S. an early 1-0 lead, which was then doubled to 2-0 in the 27’ by Landon Donovan. Honduras would pull a goal back in the 52’ from Nery Medina, only to see Donovan restore the two-goal advantage for the U.S. a minute later in the 53’ to complete the 3-1 scoreline.
The Gold Cup was the setting for the two teams’ next match-up when they opened the 2015 tournament at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. A pair of headers steered home by Clint Dempsey in the 25’ and the 64’ countered a Carlos Discua goal for Honduras in the 69’ to earn the U.S. a 2-1 win.
Later that year at the 2015 CMOQ, Honduras would avenge their Gold Cup defeat with a resounding 2-0 win over the U.S. in the semifinals. Not only did it give Honduras a spot in the Final, but it also punched their ticket to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The hero for the Catrachos was FW Alberth Elis, who scored in the 23’ and 77’.
The last meeting between the two teams in Concacaf play then came this past March at the 2020 CMOQ and again in the semifinals with an Olympic berth at stake. The U.S. looked to turn the tables, but Honduras proved to be too strong and a Juan Carlos Obregon goal in the 45+4’ and a Luis Palma score in the 47’ outweighed Jackson Yueill’s goal in the 52’ to earn the Catrachos a trip to Tokyo.
With the two teams now set to meet for the first time ever in the CNL, it is anyone’s guess which way this one will go.
