Honduras vs. Switzerland World Cup 2014: Jerry Bengtson Heads Home Early and Scoreless

Honduras crashed out of the World Cup losing what was to them a mere consolation game 3-0 to Switzerland, marking their third straight loss of the tournament. However, the bar wasn't set very high for the Hondurans when they originally qualified for the World Cup. Indeed, it was a great accomplishment for Los Catrachos to even play in Brazil and the coaches, players, and country should be applauded for making it this far. However, they found it just too difficult to compete at the highest level and lost to superior opponents.

New England Revolution striker Jerry Bengston had another difficult night and failed to score for his third straight game. Despite being blanked, Honduras did create their fair share of chances but were just kept out due to last ditch defending and strong goalkeeping. In the 50th minute, Bengston misjudged the trajectory of a cross and attempted a diving header with the ball below his knees and narrowly missed putting the ball into the back of the net. Just two minutes later Bengston latched on to a through ball behind the defense, touched it around the keeper, and had his shot blocked off the line by Ricardo Rodriguez. Honduras' best chance to score came in the 80th minute when Bengston's free header was saved by Diego Benaglio.

It was unfortunate to not see Jerry Bengston score as the World Cup provided him a great chance to prove his quality to everyone and hit back at his critics. The big question surrounding Bengston has always been about why he scores so much for Honduras and not at all for the Revolution. We learned that he relies on service and a quality strike partner if he is to be involved in the game, but even with the help of Carlo Costly, he looked off color. Whenever a chance fell to him he was a bit off the pace. He was also taken out in the first match against France in the 46th minute when the Hondurans desperately needed a goal, telling us that the coaching staff is getting fed up with his non-involvement and lack of effectiveness in front of the net. Or, perhaps the level of play in MLS is getting to a level that matches, or surpasses, the level in Central America. Either way, it was a disappointing tournament for Bengston and Co. but hopefully he will return to New England with a fire and play at World Cup speed if he is selected in a coming match.