Honduras, which will face the USA March 24 in a critical Hexagonal match, became the first team to qualify for the 2017 Gold Cup from the Copa Centroamericana when it beat host Panama, 1-0, onEddie Hernandez‘s first-half goal.
The Catrachos started only three players — Donis Escober, Henry Figueroa and Jorge Claros — who started in their secondHexagonal match, a 3-1 win over Trinidad & Tobago.
They lead the Copa Centroamericana with three wins in three games. The top four teams in the six-team tournament will advance to theGold Cup and the fifth-place team will face Haiti in a playoff for the 12th and final berth in the tournament.
CopaCentroamericana:
FRIDAY, JANUARY 13
Honduras 2 Nicaragua 1
Costa Rica 0 El Salvador 0
Panama 0 Belize 0
SUNDAY, JANUARY 15
Costa Rica 3 Belize0
Honduras 2 El Salvador 1
Panama 2 Nicaragua 1
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17
Panama 0 Honduras 1
El Salvador 3 Belize 1
Costa Rica 0 Nicaragua 0