Late equalizer spoils USA's experiment in Honduras friendly

BOCA RATON, Fla. --

This scene played out a bit differently in East Hartford on Friday, but the pain of another late goal felt all too familiar for the United States.

Maynor Figueroa played the role performed by Enner Valencia a few days earlier and stunned the Americans with another late equalizer. His header in the 86th minutes lifted Honduras to a 1-1 draw at FAU Stadium and sent the Americans off to reflect on another victory squandered in the late stages.

Jozy Altidore handed the Americans the perfect start by marking his return home with a goal after just 10 minutes. The bright opening period justified Jürgen Klinsmann's decision to deploy a 4-4-2 setup to feature his returning stalwarts and name Jermaine Jones alongside Matt Besler in central defense, but the second half fade mirrored the last two matches and eventually prompted yet another disappointing draw.

“I think it was an interesting game," Klinsmann said. "I think we started really well and got that goal through Jozy. It was a nice goal. And then, maybe after 30, 35 minutes, we dropped a little bit. The second half, it was difficult to keep the rhythm going and the sharpness. Honduras looked good, energetic. At the end of the day, I think they deserved an equalizer. As a result, it was OK at 1-1.”

Klinsmann will once again take heart from the broad strokes of an affair where his players cobbled together good spells in possession before the interval, but he will strive to sort out the continued inability to sustain those positive strides through the second-half alterations before the team reconvenes in November.

The early stages reflected the utility of the changes as the Americans pressed Honduras from the outset. Altidore squandered a chance to open the scoring after eight minutes with his selflessness and a poor square pass Clint Dempsey could only prod wide of the far post. It proved a harbinger of things to come for the Boca Raton native as he converted menace into end product just two minutes later.

Dempsey combined with Michael Bradley in midfield to pave the way for Bradley to pick out Altidore with a sumptuous diagonal out to the left. Altidore chested down, maneuvered around Victor Bernardez and tore toward goal. He completed the tidy move with a rasping finish inside the near post to mark his homecoming with his 24th international goal.

The home side carried much of the play in the early stages, but a poor kick out of the back from Nick Rimando nearly gifted the Hondurans an equalizer shortly thereafter. Andy Najar collected the imprecise distribution and deposited it over the bar from distance to provide Rimando with a respite.

Najar's effort provided the high point in the otherwise dismal opening half for the Hondurans. Their lack of precision and shape invited the Americans forward and permitted Bradley and Mix Diskerud to dictate terms in possession through the middle third.

Those efforts failed to yield the elusive and ultimately necessary second goal required to provide a measure of safety. Alejandro Bedoya conjured perhaps the best opening when he scampered down the left and slotted a ball toward the far post, but Emilio Izaguirre recovered to turn away the inviting cross with his slide.

Klinsmann opted to stick with the same team at the start of the second half in a bid to sort out the proceedings. The gambit did not quite work as planned as the Hondurans improved a bit and started to ask more genuine questions as the second half progressed.

All of the industry frittered out at the sharp end with Honduras still struggling to find its sharpness without Jerry Bengtson and Carlo Costly. Jones intervened on one occasion with a inch-perfect tackle and procured a yellow card with a more robust challenge on Alberth Elis on the hour to halt a potentially promising break.

The tempo dropped around that time as the fatigue and the heat exerted their toll and the substitutions robbed the game of any semblance of rhythm. There were flickers of intrigue here and there -- Diskerud uncorked a mazy dribbling sequence around the Honduran penalty area without producing a chance at its conclusion -- without sustained periods of pressure or particularly incisive chances.

Honduras persisted in its efforts in the final quarter of an hour and received its reward from a set piece. Diskerud conceded a foul on the left when he lunged to stop second-half substitute Mario Martinez's progress down the right. Martinez returned to his feet and swung an inviting cross toward the goal area with his left foot. Figueroa ghosted past his marker and thumped home his header to punish the Americans for their inability to close out a game for the second time in five days.