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Honduras and Costa Rica kick off the fourth round of games in the CONCACAF Hexagonal tournament that will decide which three team will represent the region at the 2018 World Cup, and which team will get a shot at providing CONCACAF with a fourth representative.
In the last cycle, both Costa Rica and Honduras won through to Brazil 2014 by clinching top-three finishes in the Hex. This time around, Los Ticos look on track for a similar finish, despite their recent 2-0 loss to El Tri in Mexico. Honduras, however, seems to be struggling to regain the form that took it to Brazil.
In qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, Los Catrachos were unbeatable at home in the Hex (three wins and two draws) and a tough opponent on the road (three losses, but two of those were 1-0 and there was also a famous win over Mexico at Azteca). In the early stages of this Hexagonal, Honduras has already lost a home game - worse, it lost 1-0 to Panama: the only goal Panama has scored so far in this Hex. And it has been thrashed by USMNT, 6-0. Three points won against an out-of-sorts Trinidad and Tobago are currently protecting Los Catrachos' reputation as contenders to qualify for Russia 2018.
This game against Costa Rica is a significant test of Honduras ability to live up to its reputation as an emerging CONCACAF power. It won't be mathematically eliminated with a loss to Los Ticos, but this is the team's third home game of this Hex. It will only get two more chances to pick up points in San Pedro Sula. In the 2014 cycle, Honduras won 11 of its 15 points in the Hex at home. A loss or even a draw in this game would cap Los Catrachos' maximum points from home games for this Hex at nine or 10. That would be troubling for a team that has to play its next two qualifiers (in June) on the road in Mexico and Panama.
Honduras needs a win out of this game or it will be asking a lot of itself over the remaining games in the Hex.
Costa Rica is in the opposite situation: this is its third road game in this tournament, so a loss would be dispiriting but not unduly damaging to its prospects of advancing to Russia. Los Ticos would surely rather have a point or three than none from this game, but they have six points in hand already and back-to-back home games in June to look forward to if things go awry in San Pedro Sula.
Per livesoccertv.com, here's where to find the game: