World Cup Preview - Group E - Honduras

Nickname: “Los Catrachos”

Absurd FIFA ranking: 30th

Coach: Colombian Luis Fernando Suarez

Game Schedule:
June 15 – Honduras v. France (Porto Alegre, 3:00 p.m. EST, ABC)
June 20 – Honduras v. Ecuador (Curitiba, 6:00 p.m., ESPN)
June 25 – Honduras v. Switzerland (Manaus 4:00 p.m., ESPN2)

Prospects: Due to the grace of CONCACAF qualifying, Honduras never worried much about reaching Brasil 2014, edging Mexico out of third place in the Hexagonal. Heading into their third World Cup final tournament, though, their primary goal will be to achieve something they've never done before - winning a tournament match. Given the state of Group E, that might be a reasonable objective.

Key Player: Sadly, Stoke City's plodding defensive midfielder Wilson Palacios is the most accomplished Honduran of his generation.

Youngster to watch: I wouldn't mind having a look at 21 year-old Anderlecht schemer Andy Najar.

Who Will Get the Goals: Unbelievably, the New England Revolution's feckless striker Jeremy Bengtson is Los Catrachos' leading scorer and best hope of goals in Brazil.

Who Will Get the Cards: Hull City's center back Maynor Figueroa has trained under Steve Bruce.

Funniest Name: Winger Carlo Costly.

Prediction: If they were in another group, we could at least enjoy the sight of, say, Germany thumping Honduras 8-0 but since they're in Group E, they'll limp through three matches before boarding an early flight back to Tegucigalpa.