Soccer-Mexico give Eriksson winning start, U.S. win away

By Carlos Calvo

MEXICO CITY, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Midfielder Pavel Pardo scored both goals as Mexico came from behind to beat Honduras 2-1 and give coach Sven-Goran Eriksson a winning start in the third round of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers.

Also victorious in Wednesday night's action were the United States, 1-0 winners in Guatemala with a Carlos Bocanegra header, Costa Rica, who beat El Salvador 1-0 in San Jose, and Trinidad & Tobago, who ran out 3-1 winners over Cuba in Havana.

Canada were held to a 1-1 draw by Jamaica in Toronto and Haiti and Suriname drew 2-2 in Port-au-Prince.

Honduras shocked Mexico -- who reached the second round of the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany before losing to Argentina -- when Julio Cesar de Leon, nicknamed Rambo, put them ahead with a 35th-minute free kick in the Group B match at the Azteca.

Pardo struck twice in four minutes in the last quarter to turn the match around and Honduras had Maynor Figueroa sent off after the winning goal, scored from a long-range free kick, for dissent as the Honduran claimed there had been an offside.

TWO OFF

Two players were sent off at the Mateo Flores Stadium in Guatemala City where the U.S. made a winning start in Group A, with American Steve Cherundolo sent off on the hour and Gustavo Cabrera of the home team following three minutes later.