SAN JOSE, Calif. — The United States men’s national soccer team, after losing its first two games in the final round of World Cup qualifying, enters Friday’s match against Honduras in last place among the region’s six teams. The team will also arrive with a new coach, a minus-5 goal differential and a roster diluted by injuries, suspensions and a goalkeeper’s new baby.
The forgiving nature of the qualifying format softens the Americans’ early failures: The top three teams in Concacaf advance to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and the fourth-place finisher can progress via a playoff.