The Sounders FC midfielder put in an impressive performance tallying two goals and one assist as Honduras topped Canada 8-1 in a vital CONCACAF World Cup qualifying match.
Entering their match against Canada on Tuesday, Honduras needed a win to advance out of the group stage and into the hexagonal round of the CONCACAF region for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying. A loss or a draw against the Canadians would send Honduras home without any hope of reaching the Brazil World Cup.
Playing at Estadio Olimpico in San Pedro Sula – the same stadium where the Sounders topped Marathon 3-2 on September 19 – Mario Martinez helped rocket Honduras to an 8-1 trouncing of Canada with two goals and an assist to ensure Honduras of a spot in the hexagonal, starting February 6, 2013.
Honduras got out to a fast start to the match, with New England Revolution forward Jerry Bengtson scoring in seventh minute, then adding another in the 17th minute to make it 2-0. He then assisted on a goal by former Houston Dynamo forward Carlo Costly to make it 3-0 before the half-hour mark.
That’s when Martinez joined in the scoring, netting his first ever goal in World Cup qualifying in the 33rd minute, giving Honduras a 4-0 lead that held until halftime.
The domination continued when the second half kicked off.
In the 48th minute, Costly scored again, this time off the assist from Martinez to make it 5-0. Then the Sounders midfielder added his second goal of the match in the 61st minute, giving Honduras a 6-0 lead to hold over the final 30 minutes.
Canada would pull one back on a goal by Iain Hume in the 76th minute, only to have Bengtson and Costly complete hat tricks with Bengtson scoring his third goal in the 82nd minute and Costly’s coming in the 88th on Bengtson’s second assist of the match.
In addition to Martinez and Bengtson, the Honduras lineup also featured San Jose Earthquakes defender Victor Bernardez and Houston Dynamo midfielder Oscar Garcia. Canada, meanwhile, started a lineup that included Houston Dynamo defender Andre Hainault, FC
Dallas midfielder Julian de Guzman and Real Salt Lake midfielder Will Johnson.
Honduras is looking to qualify for their second straight World Cup and just their third, all-time. They fell in the group stage of the 1982 and 2010 World Cups.
