MINNEAPOLIS — The young U.S. men’s national team hasn’t been here before, either atmospherically or metaphorically.
Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier against Honduras here in the Twin Cities is going to be cold, perhaps historically so. A little more than 24 hours before kickoff, the forecast predicted a game-time temperature under 5 degrees, with the wind chill surpassing -10.
The stakes are novel as well. This U.S. team has been in some big games, but none with these specific, big-picture stakes attached. Rankings and regional trophies are nice, but it’s the World Cup that defines this program. The road to Qatar is nearing the stretch run, and the race for one of Concacaf’s three automatic tickets is tightening. Failure to beat Los Catrachos at Minnesota United’s Allianz Field would leave the second-place U.S. (5-2-3) in a difficult spot, facing treacherous trips to Mexico and Costa Rica next month.
