Zoltán Stieber, fresh off his United debut (a 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution on Aug. 26), has joined up with his compatriots and now will look to help Hungary gain ground in Group B of UEFA World Cup Qualifying. The lone MLS representative on Hungary's roster, Stieber has the second-most appearances in qualifiers out of Hungary's midfielders (four). Before Hungary host Latvia at 2:45 PM ET at the Groupama Arena in Budapest, here's everything you need to know.
Head-to-Head
Hungary and Latvia have played once so far in this qualification cycle, last October. On Oct. 10, the Hungarians traveled to Riga, Latvia, and left with all three points after Ádám Szalai and Adam Gyurcso scored on either side of half time to secure a 2-0 victory. In total, the two sides have met six times, with Hungary dominating the matchup 5-1-0 (W-L-D).
Coaches
Hungary: Bernd Storck
Storck has been in charge of Hungary since July 2015. Last year, he led the Hungarians to the final 16 at the 2016 European Championships after a 44-year absence from the tournament. Hungary earned qualification after defeating Norway in a dramatic playoff.
Latvia: Aleksandrs Starkovs
The Latvian coached the national team and the Skonto FC simultaneously for several years in the early 2000s, leading the national side to UEFA EURO 2004. Afterwards, he took the helm at Spartak Moskva and guided the club team to runners-up in the Russian league in 2005. Starkovs coached Latvia for a second stint from 2007-2013 while also coaching club sides Skonto (again) and Bakı FK, an Azerbaijan side. He has since started coaching the Latvian team for a third time since April of 2017.
Where They Stand
All nine group winners earn immediate qualification for Russia 2018, while the eight best runners-up will compete in playoffs to determine the remaining four spots. Currently Hungary are in third in Group B, while Latvia are in last.
<strong>TEAM</strong> |
<strong>MP</strong> |
<strong>W</strong> |
<strong>D</strong> |
<strong>L</strong> |
<strong>GF</strong> |
<strong>GA</strong> |
<strong>PTS</strong> |
Switzerland |
6 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
3 |
18 |
Portugal |
6 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
22 |
3 |
15 |
Hungary |
6 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
8 |
7 |
7 |
Faroe Islands |
6 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
10 |
5 |
Andorra |
6 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
13 |
4 |
Latvia |
6 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
12 |
3 |
Top Scorers
Hungary: Ádám Szalai (4)
Latvia: Valērijs Šabala (1)
Next Match
Hungary: The Hungarians host Portugal, again in Budapest, on Sept. 3 in Matchday 8. The two sides met in March, a 3-0 Portuguese victory after Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice.
Latvia: Latvia host group leaders Switzerland on Sept. 3. They also met in March, when Josip Drmić scored in the second half for the game's only goal.
