The All Whites held off a relentless if somewhat off-target assault from Honduras to claim their first international football victory in 11 matches.
Striker Shane Smeltz's clinical header off a pinpoint Jeremy Brockie cross on the stroke of half-time lifted the New Zealanders to the 1-0 victory in Texas.
Ricki Herbert's men were fortunate not to concede in the second half with two Honduras shots hitting the All Whites' posts as the Central Americans dominated the second stanza.
Herbert was more than happy with the performance of some of his young squad and says he's got a few selection headaches to deal with ahead of the Oceania Nations Cup in the Solomons.
The victory over Honduras was the All Whites' first victory since their 1-0 win over Serbia in May 2010.
They now head to the Oceania Cup Nations Cup, which doubles as the first stage of qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, with an unbeaten record from their two-game trip to Texas following Thursday's 2-all draw with El Salvador.
