Honduras select Suarez to lead World Cup quest
Reuters - Tuesday 15 March 2011, 22:31
TEGUCIGALPA, March 15 (Reuters) - Honduras have turned to a
Colombian coach once again in their bid to reach a second
successive World Cup finals by appointing Luis Suarez.
Suarez was named by the Honduran Football Federation
(Fenafuth) on Monday to succeed Mexican Juan de Dios Castillo,
who resigned after a short stint despite steering Honduras to
victory in the Copa Centroamericana in January.
Suarez's fellow Colombian Reinaldo Rueda led the Central
American team to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, their
second appearance on the world stage after 1982. Rueda resigned
after the finals and is now in charge of Ecuador.
The 51-year-old Suarez, who has been to the World Cup as
coach of Ecuador in Germany in 2006, has been entrusted with
steering Honduras to the 2014 tournament.
"I am already the national team coach, we have fully taken
charge and the idea is to be there for the friendlies against
China and Korea," said Suarez, whose staff are Uruguayan.
Honduras travel to play South Korea on March 25 and China
four days later. They are preparing for the CONCACAF Gold Cup to
be played in the United States from June 5 to 25.
"It's hard to qualify for a World Cup but we must be aware
that we have the means to qualify," Suarez told reporters.
"The only thing I've been asked is to qualify and I want to
go back to a World Cup so I hope in June 2014 to be in Brazil
with Honduras."