AFP, San Pedro Sula :
Hamburg striker Bobby Wood scored a late equaliser to salvage a crucial 1-1 draw for the United States in their World Cup qualifier with Honduras here Tuesday.
Wood bundled in an 85th-minute leveller just 12 minutes after coming on as a substitute to rescue a point for the Americans in sweltering conditions at the Olimpico Metropolitano Stadium.
The result means that Bruce Arena’s side still have automatic qualification in their own hands, with a home match against Panama next month followed by an away game against Trinidad & Tobago.
If the US win both of those games, they will be assured of reaching next year’s finals in Russia.
“That’s a huge point for the US team,” US coach Arena said afterwards. “I’m really proud of our team,” he added.
Arena insisted the team had not set out to play for a draw-and added that the US path to Russia is still far from straightforward.
“We didn’t come here to play for a point. We fell behind a goal and tried to get it back. The team deserves credit for getting a point,” he said.
“There’s not even a crack open in the door to Russia for us. There’s a lot of work to be done.”
It was a lucky escape for the US, who had been beaten in their previous game on Friday against Costa Rica and could not afford a second defeat here.
