BOCA RATON, Fla.—When the United States faces Honduras it will be up against a team far from the regional power the Central American side has been in the past.

Manager Luis Fernando Saurez is gone, fired after a World Cup that saw los Catrachos score—something they didn’t do in 2010—but not get a point. Not only that, but Honduras was a dreadful team to watch, lacking much of anything in attack and often resorting to physical play and niggling fouls when defending.

The Honduran FA, and the country’s faithful fans, had seen enough and brought in Costa Rican manager Hernan Medford, fresh from a Honduran title with Real España. But Medford barely had a chance to call in a roster before the controversy started. His largely domestic-based Copa Centroamericana side put in a sorry showing, limping to fifth place and will face a playoff against a Caribbean team with the winner heading to the 2015 Gold Cup.

Medford kept his job, but the panic after the tournament saw him put in calls to old hands Victor Bernardez and Maynor Figueroa in defense, among other veterans.

The team risks falling out of the Hex in the next cycle if it doesn’t improve, and making another consecutive World Cup may elude Honduras. Let’s take a look at what the team does bring to the table:

Goalkeeper

Donis Escober will likely start for Honduras. In soccer, there’s only one goalkeeper, but Escober has carved out a career as Noel Valladares’ backup for country and sometimes club. Three years Valladares’ junior, Escober, who still managed more than 25 caps since his international bow in 2002, is getting a chance to shine. The 33-year-old is consistent enough, but a lot depends on how his defense performs.

Defense

Three out of four Honduras defenders are veterans, regulars who know what it takes at the international level and have helped the country to World Cup qualification. At 28, Celtic left back Emilio Izaguirre is the only one likely to make it to conclusion of the 2018 cycle, but Figueroa and Bernardez partner centrally and bruise opposing forwards.

Then, there’s the right back spot. Honduras has tried a number of options. Nearly all of them have failed. American fans may remember the experiment gone awry of putting defensive midfielder Arnold Peralta there in a 2013 qualifier in Salt Lake City. Brayan Beckeles was regular beaten there at the World Cup. Victoria’s Wilmer Crisanto is the latest to try to patch the gap at right back.

Midfield

Honduras can produce defensive midfielders. (Ring a bell?) Six of the nine midfielders called into this roster play or once played for MLS sides, so it should be a familiar unit to fans in the U.S. In the center Sporting Kansas City’s summer signing Jorge Claros and the Houston Dyanmo’s summer signing Luis Garrido lock things down. On the wings, Boniek Garcia, Mario Martinez, and Andy Najar (who Tuesday was named Anderlecht’s Player of the Month) provide all the danger in the attack.

Forwards

There’s no heir apparent to the long line of Honduran strikers. Suazo, Velasquez, Pavon, Costly, and then nobody. Medford has only seen fit to call in three strikers for these friendlies. The most experienced is Roger Rojas, who currently plays in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq and once flew to London for a move to West Ham that fell through. Rojas is 24 and has three international goals in his 25 appearances for Honduras.

The other two forwards are Olimpia teammates. 18-year-old Alberth Elis debut against Mexico while 23-year-old Romell Quioto made the start in the same match. Honduras hopes one of them emerges with Jerry Bengston not reliable and Rony Martinez, Jona Mejia, and Anthony Lozano not seizing their opportunities on the international stage.

Jon Arnold is an ASN contributing editor and host of the ASN Podcast. Follow him on Twitter.