The US currently sits in first place in the final six-team CONCACAF standings, with the top three teams from the table automatically earning berths in the 2010 event in South Africa. The fourth-place finisher will meet the fifth-place team from the South American bracket in a two-game, aggregate-score series to earn the final CONCACAF berth.
A win in either game for the US team will give them their sixth consecutive appearance in a World Cup.
If the US wins at Honduras and Costa Rica, who plays eliminated Trinidad & Tobago that day, wins, the US advances and the October 14 game will be a moot point.
If the US wins over Honduras and Costa Rica loses, the US also advances.
If the US loses to Honduras, they would need to earn at least a tie against Costa Rica to qualify.
Honduras is undefeated at home in 2010 qualifying at 8-0-0, but the USMNT is 10-2-3 overall against them, 3-1-1 in World Cup qualifying games and 2-1-1 in World Cup qualifiers played in Honduras.
Against Costa Rica, the US is 11-11-5, including 4-4-2 in their last 10 games, with the wins coming on US soil and the losses on Costa Rica soil. At RFK Stadium, the US is 12-3-4, including their most recent win — a 2-0 victory over Honduras during the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Here is the USMNT roster for their next two opponents, listed by position and current team:
GOALKEEPERS
Brad Guzan – Aston Villa
Tim Howard – Everton
DEFENDERS
Carlos Bocanegra – Rennes
Jonathan Bornstein – Chivas USA
Steve Cherundolo – Hannover
Jimmy Conrad – Kansas City Wizards
Clarence Goodson – IK Start
Oguchi Onyewu – AC Milan
Jonathan Spector – West Ham
MIDFIELDERS
Michael Bradley – Borussia Monchengladbach
Ricardo Clark – Houston Dynamo
Clint Dempsey – Fulham
Benny Feilhaber – AGF Aarhus
Stuart Holden – Houston Dynamo
Robbie Rogers – Columbus Crew
Jose Francisco Torres – Pachuca
FORWARDS
Jozy Altidore – Hull City
Conor Casey – Colorado Rapids
Brian Ching – Houston Dynamo
Kenny Cooper – 1860 Munich
Charlie Davies – FC Sochaux
Landon Donovan – Los Angeles Galaxy
