Más fútbol

Honduras continues its march towards the World Cup, having beat both Canada and Jamaica this week. From my understanding, one more win will guarantee a spot in the next round of World Cup qualifying matches.  Ramon Nunez (jumping, screaming) has caught fire, scoring three of the last four goals for the catracho (that's what they call Honduras) team.

Honduras vs. Mexico

Honduras faced off against Mexico Wednesday in the next round of playoff games in the march towards qualifying for the World Cup. (I blogged about this once before here.) We happened to be in La Ceiba for the match, and were eager to watch the game in a crowd of Honduran fans. Our first stop was the popular and unfortunately named sports bar, Expatriates. It was too popular for us that night, so unsure of where else to go, we made our way over to the mall food court, where I knew there were at least a few TVs around. Turns out it was the place to be.

While soccer can make grown men cry, it can also make them pump their fists with joy. Below is a video taken after Honduras scored its only goal of the match.

They cheered just as loudly after every replay.

We made our exit before the game was over and upon arrival to our hotel we heard that Mexico had scored two goals within two minutes soon after we left. The final score was a depressing 2-1. According to my source (the guy at the front desk of the Hotel Canadien) Honduras must with 3 of the next 5 games to advance to the next round of the World Cup qualifiers . If not, we may find ourselves in a country of weeping macho men.

Fútbol (Soccer)

There really is no US equivalent to a Central American soccer game. Hondurans are nuts for their World Cup team -- La Selección -- which has the best chance of qualifying for the World Cup since the 80's. Last night I had the privilege of freezing my butt off watching the first qualifying match between Honduras and Puerto Rico. Fun, but miserable.

The rain began about 5:30, as I and two other men from the church were entering the stadium, and it didn't stop for the entire five hours we spent standing in the back of the bleachers. The game was supposed to begin at 7:30, but they waited until 8:30 to see if field conditions would improve. They didn't; the field was just an hour soggier, but they gave it a go anyway. It was ugly, with the players slipping and sliding all over the muddy pitch, but Honduras pressed on victorious, 4-0. The fans got what they wanted. All I wanted was for them to cancel the game.

What is it about people -- let's be honest -- about men that makes them sit out for hours in pelting rain to watch a bunch of other men kick around a ball for a while?

¡Viva la Selección!