The United States is not quite in second place and barely ahead of fourth as the World Cup qualifying stretch run begins.

Points are precious with only four games remaining and a very slim margin between being in or out of next summer's tournament in South Africa.

The Americans host El Salvador on Saturday, clinging to one of the three guaranteed spots in the region with only three points separating the top four teams.

"None of us were under any illusions. We've known for a long time how difficult qualifying is - particularly in this last stage," U.S. goalie Tim Howard said. "It's never easy."

The United States (3-1-2) is seeking a sixth straight World Cup berth. The Americans enter this round in third place in North and Central America and the Caribbean group, tied with Honduras at 10 points but behind in the standings because of goal differential. Mexico is in fourth, just one point behind, and Costa Rica leads with 12 points.

The top three teams qualify for the World Cup and the fourth-place team will have a chance to make the field for South Africa in a playoff.

The Americans play another qualifier Wednesday at Trinidad and Tobago. The standings next week will depend on what happens in the other qualifiers. Winning is the only way the United States can ensure it remains among the top three.

"We're going in to this thinking we need two wins. That would set us up real nicely for qualifying," said defender Carlos Bocanegra, the U.S. captain.

Saturday's game is a rematch of a 2-2 draw played in San Salvador in March that left players from both sides disappointed, feeling they had let two more points slip away. El Salvador led 2-0, but couldn't hold off a U.S. rally in the second half.

"It's a game we were winning, then the United States came harder and it ended in a tie," El Salvador coach Carlos de los Cobos said.

Howard had to sit out the first meeting to serve a one-game suspension for receiving his second yellow card in qualifying. The Americans felt they had a chance at getting a win and three points instead of just the single point for a tie, but played from behind most of the game.

The United States salvaged a point on goals by Jozy Altidore in the 77th minute and Frankie Hejduk's score in the 88th.

"There were parts of the game where we felt we should have been better," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "We were certainly pleased at the end, given the challenge of being down two goals on the road and to fight back. That said a lot about the mentality of the team. That was the big positive."

Bradley has been using a younger, less-experienced lineup and stayed with that for El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago. Several players impressed him during the U.S. run in the Gold Cup earlier this summer. Four players on the roster this week, including locals Kyle Beckerman and Robbie Findley of Real Salt Lake, have not played in a World Cup qualifier this cycle.

Although El Salvador (1-3-2) is stuck near the bottom of the group with five points, Los Cuscatlecos have been improving rapidly under de los Cobos. El Salvador is up to No. 85 in the FIFA world rankings after being ranked 169th three years ago.

U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu is suspended for Saturday's game after receiving his second qualifying yellow card during a 2-1 loss last month in Mexico. Even with the hole in the U.S. defence, the Americans are expecting a conservative approach from El Salvador in front of the hostile U.S. crowd that's expected to pack Rio Tinto Stadium.

"They'll be a different team here than the way they played there. They'll probably be very defensive minded. Our job is to break them down, try to score a goal early," U.S. forward Landon Donovan said. "The longer the game stays at 0-0, the better it is for them."