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Boniek Garcia Called to Honduran NT

With an international date coming up, Dynamo midfielder Boniek Garcia has once again been called up to the Honduran national team for their March 5th friendly against Venezuela in San Pedro Sula.

Al Bello

The countdown continues. The World Cup kicks off in Brazil on June 12th - 106 days from today. In these last three and a half months, the thirty-two participating national teams will have to get their players healthy, in shape, and on the same page - and there aren't too many chances left to do that.

One of the few remaining international dates - the last one I can find on the official FIFA calendar - is March 5th, one week from today. On that day, the Honduran national team will face Venezuela at San Pedro Sula. Of course, the Houston Dynamo (who start their season that weekend) have a roster that features a pair of Honduran midfielders, so call-ups generally mean that one or both of them are lost for a week or two.

In this case, Boniek Garcia has been called up. Alex Lopez will remain in Houston - a move which may signify that he will not be in Brazil this summer. Boniek will join Los Catrachos this Sunday for training, and will return to Houston on March 6th, the day after the friendly. It's expected that he'll be available for selection for the season opener, and if that's so, I highly doubt that a friendly earlier that week will keep him out of the starting XI.

A national team call is always a big deal, but the importance is magnified in a World Cup year. Boniek has 91 caps for Honduras, though none of them have been in a World Cup. He's one of two Dynamo players to be on a World Cup roster and see no playing time, so tune-up friendlies like this will go a long way to solidifying what is probably already a spot in the Honduran starting XI in Brazil.