Enlarge By Frank Polich, Reuters Honduras' Osman Chavez, left, tackles Jozy Altidore of the U.S. national soccer team during the second half of their World Cup 2010 qualifier match in Chicago. The USA, which won that game 2-1, leads its World Cup qualifying group.

The U.S. men can clinch a Cup berth with a victory. A draw in Honduras likely won't change the situation going into the Oct. 14 finale against Costa Rica at RFK Stadium in Washington, where the team can clinch a spot with a draw if it hasn't clinched already.

The scenarios give the USA a high-reward, low-risk opportunity Saturday.

"It's an opportunity to play aggressively, to know from the start that playing for the first goal, being aggressive, trying to put Honduras on the defensive would all be things we would like to accomplish," Bradley says.

At the same time, Bradley and his staff will be monitoring the score in Costa Rica, where last-place Trinidad and Tobago visits. If the Caribbean visitors can get a draw, the USA would advance with a draw.

Not that a draw or win will be easy in Honduras. As with other Central American venues, the U.S. team will face noise and hostility.

Political turmoil in Honduras could add to the sense of unease, though Bradley says a U.S. Soccer administrator who's in San Pedro Sula, site of the game, says the situation looks stable.

The U.S. team won't even have a familiar broadcast crew in Honduras. TV rights for the game are held by a company that is selling only on closed-circuit TV, forcing fans to find soccer-friendly sports bars willing to pay up. The Spanish feed is far outselling the English feed.

"The idea that this match is not on regular TV is disappointing for all of them, and we understand and feel badly about that," Bradley says.

Then there's the Honduran team itself, which is on the verge of qualifying for its first World Cup since 1982. The country has become one of the top per-capita soccer exporters in North America, with forward David Suazo at Italian power Inter Milan, midfielder Wilson Palacios at England's Tottenham Hotspur and a handful of players scattered through Europe.

One familiar Honduran player, Toronto FC's Amado Guevara, is suspended for the game against the USA.

Avoiding suspension for the final game vs. Costa Rica is one of Bradley's challenges. Eight players, including captain Carlos Bocanegra and offensive leader Landon Donovan, are a yellow card away from missing the finale.

Bradley already has juggled his roster this week with Clint Dempsey missing the Honduras game with a sprained right shoulder. Benny Feilhaber or Stuart Holden may take Dempsey's place in the starting midfield, Bradley says, while veteran defender Frankie Hejduk was called in to take his place on the roster.

•Follow the action from Saturday's World Cup qualifying game at soccer.usatoday.com