[HEXAGONAL COUNTDOWN] The USA has beaten Honduras in Honduras in both meetings since the launch of the Hexagonal, Concacaf's six-team World Cup qualifying competition. Their meeting on Feb. 6 to open the final round of World Cup 2014 qualifying will be different. The game will kick off at 3 p.m. local time in San Pedro Sula (4 p.m ET). To get an idea about what it is like to play in the afternoon heat in San Pedro Sula, you only need to see what happened to Canada when it traveled to San Pedro Sula needing only a draw to advance to the Hexagonal.

It would be an exaggeration to blame the Canadians' 8-1 loss on the afternoon heat at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano. After all, the Catrachos were ahead 4-0 after only 33 minutes. But the heat and humidity certainly were oppressive. Despite some cloud cover, "sweat still dripped in rivers," as one Canadian observer described the conditions in the 86-degree heat.

The 45,000-seat Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, built in 1997, is one of the most intimidating stadiums in the world with barbed wire and a dry moat around the fenced-in grass field.

When the USA won, 3-2, at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano in October 2009 to clinch a berth in 2010 World Cup, the game was held in the evening. It was Honduras, not the USA, that cracked under the pressure. The Catrachos  blew a 1-0 lead in the second half and had a chance to equalize after falling 3-1 down, but Carlos Pavon ballooned the penalty kick over the goal.

In 2001, Clint Mathis scored on a free kick to give the USA a 2-1 win over Honduras in another night game played before a sellout crowd in San Pedro Sula.