The U.S. men’s national team’s first competitive match since November 2019 takes place Thursday night in Denver, when the Americans face Honduras in the semifinals of the first Concacaf Nations League.
It’s been a matchup a year in the making, with the coronavirus pandemic delaying the completion of the competition by a year, but the two sides will finally determine which one moves onto the final in the Colorado altitude.
The U.S. enters on the heels of a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland on Sunday, which snapped a nine-game unbeaten run. Christian Pulisic, who won the Champions League with Chelsea a day earlier, didn’t play in that game, though, and both he and starting goalkeeper Zack Steffen are starting vs. Honduras.
Los Catrachos coasted through group play in the Nations League back in the fall of 2019, but they haven’t won since, going 0-2-2 in the four friendlies they’ve been able to play—most recently losing 2-1 at Greece in March.
The winner will face either Mexico or Costa Rica for the title on Sunday night, while the loser will face the loser of the other semifinal in the third-place match, which precedes the championship game.
Stay tuned here for live updates and highlights of goals and key plays from throughout the match (refresh for most recent updates).
Here is the USA’s lineup for the night:
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