U.S. Soccer Match Moved to Honduras
The U.S. Soccer Federation learned Tuesday that the national team will play its World Cup qualifying match against El Salvador on Sept. 17 at Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
FIFA, the international soccer federation, made the decision when the five teams in the region encompassing North and Central America and the Caribbean could not agree on a location for the game.
It originally had been scheduled for San Salvador on July 9, but FIFA indefinitely suspended games in El Salvador because of a fan disturbance there on June 25.
Trailing 4-2 with eight minutes left in a game against Costa Rica, El Salvador was forced to forfeit when the referee determined that it would be dangerous to continue because of the unruly crowd.
El Salvador requested that the game against the United States be moved to Los Angeles, where there is a large Salvadoran population. But two other teams in the region, Costa Rica and Guatemala, objected to giving the U.S. an extra home game in the eight-game, round-robin tournament.
Keith Walker, USSF secretary, said the new date is the one recommended by U.S. Coach Bob Gansler. The United States will have a month to recuperate from two tournaments in early August, including the Marlboro Cup at the Coliseum Aug. 10 and 13.
With a 2-1-1 record, the United States is second in the qualifying tournament. Costa Rica completed play with a 5-2-1 record and is virtually assured of a berth in the 1990 World Cup tournament in Italy. The two teams with the best records at the end of the year advance. El Salvador is 0-2.
