BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa -- Honduras has lost both games so far; it hasn't scored a goal; it's facing elimination from the World Cup; and now the public harping has begun.
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Reserve defender Victor "Muma" Bernardez already has openly criticized Catrachos manager Reinaldo Rueda, blaming him for Honduras' likely first-round exit.
"I think everyone sees it. You all see it. We also see it, but it's better not to say it," Bernardez told the Honduran publication La Tribuna as the Hondurans prepared for Friday's final group match against Switzerland. "I think that when you go to war, you have to go with your best men…with the men of experience.
"We can beat Switzerland whenever (Rueda) puts in the players…the necessary players…the players that know how to play, those that know how to withstand the pressure. If not, we won't win."
The dissension isn't as stark as that which overwhelmed the French team, the 2006 runner-up which revolted at the dismissal of striker Nicolas Anelka and refused to train for a day.
Honduras is last in Group H, and while still holding a mathematical chance of advancing, it would need to beat Switzerland by at least two goals, have Chile beat European champion Spain, and have both occur with a combined five goals in the Catrachos' favor.
The Central Americans, playing in only their second World Cup and first since 1982, were on the defensive throughout their 1-0 loss to Chile and 2-0 defeat to Spain.
"The plan is to go out to win; our dignity has to appear," Rueda said to La Prensa. "You have to take into account that mathematically we still have a small chance of qualifying.
"Switzerland defends well but we will try and be quicker and improve our production in the final game of the group stage.
If Honduras is eliminated, the match against Switzerland likely will be the last for several veterans. Midfielders Amado Guevara (34), Dani Tucios (32) and striker Carlos Pavon (36) all have said they will retire from the national team after the World Cup.
Forward David Suazo, goalkeeper Noel Valladares, midfielder Edgar Alvarez and Julio Cesar De Leon, who was dropped just before the start of the World Cup because of injury, also are all 30 or older.
Should Honduras be eliminated, it would be the only one of CONCACAF's three teams not to advance out of the first round. The United States faces Ghana, and Mexico will play Argentina in the knockout phase on Saturday and Sunday.
"It's something to learn from," midfielder Ramon Nunez said. "It's our second World Cup and I hope it's a great lesson. We need to have a positive mentality and know that the possibility is there.
"When we put in two strikers against Spain, we caused them problems, I hope that in the match against Switzerland we have more conviction, more hunger to win the game."
Group H
| Team |
GP |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
Pts |
| Chile |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
6 |
| Spain |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
|
Switzerland |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
| Honduras |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
Honduras 0, Chile 1
Spain 0, Switzerland 1
Monday, June 21
Chile 1, Switzerland 0
Spain 2, Honduras 0
Fruiday, June 25
Switzerland vs. Honduras
Chile vs. Spain
