Three Houston Dynamo midfielders played 90 minutes on Friday in the opening games of the semifinal round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Boniek Garcia and Luis Garrido started as Honduras lost at Canada, 1-0, while Giles Barnes played the entirety of Jamaica’s 2-0 home defeat to Panama.
Both countries have a chance to bounce back on Tuesday as qualifying continues for all 12 remaining nations. Honduras hosts Mexico at 3 p.m. CT tomorrow at Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula. Los Catrachos fared well against Mexico in the final “Hexagonal” round of qualifying of the 2014 World Cup, securing a 2-2 home draw in March 2013 and a 2-1 road win at Estadio Azteca in September 2013 with Carlo Costly and Jerry Bengtson once again providing the goals.
CONCACAF World Cup qualifying standings
Garcia earned his 104th cap while Garrido made his 34th appearance for Honduras in Friday’s 1-0 defeat at BC Place in Vancouver. The loss comes just three years after Honduras eliminated Canada in 2014 World Cup qualifying with a 8-1 victory in the final game of the semifinal round.
Barnes made his 14th career appearance for Jamaica, all since his debut in March. Jamaica continued its mixed form of results after reaching the Gold Cup Final in August. Armando Cooper scored from a free kick before halftime and an own goal from Wes Morgan shortly after the break sealed Panama’s 2-0 win. The Reggae Boyz have now lost two straight World Cup qualifiers at home following a shock 2-0 home defeat to Nicaragua last round.
Jamaica will face Haiti at 5 p.m. CT at Stade Sylvio Cator in Port-au-Prince with both teams in search of a result. Haiti lost at Costa Rica, 1-0, on Friday and a defeat tomorrow could see the loser fall at least four points back of group leaders Panama and Costa Rica. Jamaica beat Haiti, 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup on July 18 as Barnes scored the winning goal.
CONCACAF World Cup qualifying schedule
Each nation plays six total games – three home and three away – during the semifinal round. The top two teams from each of the three groups advance to the final round, also known as the “Hexagonal”. In other results Friday, the United States rolled to a 6-1 win over St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Trinidad won at Guatemala, 2-1; Mexico cruised past El Salvador, 3-0; and Costa Rica beat Haiti, 1-0.
