SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras -- Be forewarned, U.S. fans: Whether the national team wins, loses or ties its Hexagonal opener against the Catrachos here today (4 p.m. ET, BeIN Sport), the game will not be pretty.

In case you hadn't heard it enough in the lead-up to the match, playing in Honduras is hard. The fans are loud. The field is bumpy (although it looked better Tuesday than it did the last time the Yanks visited in 2009) and the whole country will be behind the home team. That's just how it goes on the road in the six-team, 10-game slog that comprises the final round of World Cup qualifying games in the CONCACAF region.

But somewhat lost in all the chatter about the challenges the Americans will face off the field is the stern test they'll be presented with on it.

"They're a dangerous team," defender Geoff Cameron told Insider outside the U.S. locker room the day before the match. "Obviously we know that it's a big game for them, too."

The Yanks also know their opponents.