USA 2 - 0 Trinidad & Tobago
Full-time: The US do what was expected and pick up a the win. Trinidad & Tobago had their chances but in the end, the talent that is Christian Pulisic was the difference.
90' Nagbe gets to the byline but his cut back is stopped by a defender and the T&T defense can move up the field.
88' The US build another attack but Acosta commits the foul and the attack ends.
85' YELLOW CARD: Bedoya becomes the second player in the book.
84' CHANCE! Bedoya finds Wood who had held his run and his shot comes off the far post!
83' SUBSTITUTION: Bobby Wood comes on for Altidore.
82' SUBSTITUTION: Jamille Boatswain comes in for Kenwyn Jones.
80' Winchester holds off Villafaña and takes a shot on the turn but it's straight at Howard.
78' Acosta goes for goal but Williams is there to keep it out.
76' YELLOW CARD: Paul's first act is to foul Pulisic and pick up the first card of the game.
76' SUBSTITUTION: Weston Paul comes in for Hyland.
76' Altidore goes down after a challenge by Mekeil Williams and asks for a penalty but none is forthcoming.
75' Bedoya takes a tumble that will probably become a meme in the next few hours after Nagbe plays the pass behind him. The US keep possession though.
73' SUBSTITUTION: Johnson comes out and Alejandro Bedoya comes on.
73' Lewis heads for the byline and Bradley has to make a good tackle to stop the cross from coming in.
70' Cameron almost causes a calamity in hix box as he is challenged by Winchester but the ball eventually rolls to Howard and allows the US to take a breath.
?68' SUBSTITUTION: Shahdon Winchester comes in for Joevin Jones who has been excellent for T&T today.
68' CLOSE! Joevin Jones leads Yedlin for dead and strikes towards goal. His shot comes off a few players and goes narrowly wide of the goal.
66' T&T are pressing here and Cameron has to make a clearance right in front of his goal to stop Joevin Jones' cross from reaching a teammate.
65' Cameron makes another tough challenge that leads to a foul that gives T&T a good area for a set piece. Hyland's direct free-kick hits the wall and is cleared by the US defense.
64' Hyland tries to get into the box but Brooks is there to make a great tackle and halt is progress.
USA 2 - 0 Trinidad & Tobago
The US immediately move the ball up the field and Pulisic plays the give and go with ALtidore before finishing low past Williams in goal.
62' ?GOAL! Pulisic makes it two!
62' Hyland steals the ball off of Cameron and Kenwyn Jones strides forward before misplacing his pass and giving the US the ball back.
61' SUBSTITUTION: Kellyn Acosta comes in for Dempsey who's night is done.
57' CHANCE! Altidore should score here again! Dempsey plays a great ball through for the US forward and he tries to lob it over Williams but the goalkeeper comes out quickly and blocks the shot. The rebound falls to Nagbe but Williams is there again to win the ball from Nagbe and keep the score at 1-0.
56' CHANCE! Pulisic is starting to take over this game. Nagbe and Yedlin combine again to find the youngster making a late run into the box. He takes on his man and goes for goal but his shot hits the net.
55' The US get a corner that Williams comes out and grabs comfortably.
53' Trinidad & Tobago think they have equalized when Nathan Lewis is unmarked at the far post but his goal is ruled offside and the US breathe a sigh of relief.
USA 1 - 0 Trinidad & Tobago
Nagbe and Dempsey play a one-two that Nagbe gets to in the box. He holds the ball up and passes it back to Yedlin who sends in a one-time cross into the box that Pulisic puts away.
52' GOAL! The US take the lead through Pulisic!
51' Villafaña pushes forward and puts the ball into the box. Joevin Jones gets to it and very cooly chests the ball back to his goalkeeper.
51' Molina steals the ball from Johnson and drives his cross across the box but just ahead of Joevin Jones who was crashing into the box at the far post.
50' Bradley tries to find Nagbe with the long switch but it's just too long for the Portland Timbers FC man.
46' We're back again for the second half with no changes for either side.
Half-time: That's the end of the first half. Both teams have had their opportunities to take the lead but poor finishing sees the score line remain at 0-0 after 45 minutes.
45+1' Kenwyn Jones tries to shoot from the top of the box after cutting back onto his right foot but his effort is blocked. The ball comes out wide for T&T and Joevin Jones meets the cross at the back post but again, fails to find the target from close range.
45' The US get forward again and stall for a second, thinking that the referee would blow for the foul on Johnson. The referee waves play on and Dempsey can't redirect Yedlin's cross on target.
42' T&T put together some good passes and Hyland gets off another good effort from midfield that Howard sees late but still gets down quickly to stop from conceding the goal.
39' CHANCE! The ball goes straight up the other end as Yedlin's cross goes over his teammates to the other side but the US retain possession and Pulisic gets the ball in the box. His effort comes off Cyrus for a corner kick.
38' Kenwyn Jones finds Edwards charging into the box and instead of cutting it back to Molina, the right back goes from goal from a very tight angle and wastes the opportunity.
37' CHANCE! Altidore again misses a great opportunity. Nagbe gets by his marker and sends the ball towards Altidore who beats his defender in the air but sends his header over the bar from close range.
35' CHANCE! Oh my goodness! Now the US almost take the lead. Villafaña goes for glory and Williams punches it away. Dempsey then chases the ball down and gives it back to Villafaña who finds Altidore at the back post. The big striker gets his header on target but Williams is there again to stop the goal.
33' CHANCE! Somehow, this game is still 0-0! Kenwyn Jones meets a cross in the air and beats Tim Howard to the ball only to watch his header cannon off the bar. Edwards gets the ball out wide and sends it back again but it's just out of the reach from Jones at the far post.
31' Kenwyn Jones is brought down by Cameron near midfield and T&T get the ball back.
30' The US have had their chances but T&T are getting some looks in the attacking third as well. Whenever they attack they do leave gaps for the US to exploit though.
28' CHANCE! Hyland steps forward and tries a shot from a long way out which it goes just wide.
27' Joevin Jones pushes forward again and tries to find Kenwyn Jones in the box but Brooks steps in and clears it away.
27' CHANCE! The US break quickly with Pulisic and he goes for goal but sends it over the bar. The smarter decision may have been to square the ball to Dempsey who was unmarked.
25' CHANCE! Villafaña gets forward well again and cuts it back to Altidore. The Toronto FC man aims for the far post and Williams is on hand to make another good stop.
25' Yedlin bursts forward and tries to cut it back to Altidore but T&T recover. The ball then falls to Brooks who powers it goalwards and Williams makes a good save.
24' Pulisic tries to thread the ball to Dempsey but it's just not right and T&T can clear the lines.
23' Daneil Cyrus takes down Altidore in a good place for the US. Bradley stands over the free-kick. He plays it quickly to Nagbe who tries to find Cameron but the defender wasn't ready for the pass and it rolls away for a goal kick.
22' Joevin Jones gets forward well again but his shot is blocked by Yedlin.
20' Nagbe breaks into the box but his final touch fails him and T&T kick the ball away.
19' Howls come from the crowd as they want a call for a foul on Altidore which isn't called and T&T break quickly. Nagbe tracks back and makes a great interception to stop Joevin Jones from finding the byline.
18' Carlos Edwards is called for offside after T&T had started to build an attack.
17' Nagbe and Yedlin combine really well on the right and Yedlin sends it towards Altidore but the forward can't corral the ball and the away side survive.
15' Pulisic almost steals the ball near the T&T goal after a poor pass out by goalkeeper Jan-Michael Williams.
15' CLOSE! Dempsey sends his effort just over the crossbar! Bradley finds Jorge Flores Villafaña out wide and the full back one times it to Johnson. Johnson holds up the ball, finds Dempsey at the top of the box and the striker almost gives the US the lead.
12' Geoff Cameron strides forward and lobs the ball towards Jozy Altidore but the pass is too long and Sheldon Bateau chests the ball calmly to his goalkeeper.
6' T&T get forward again with Molina but the US defense stands strong and is able to clear their lines.
4' Pulisic wins the first corner of the night on the far side. He takes the set piece which eventually falls to Fabian Johnson but the midfielder doesn''t connect with his shot and it goes straight into the hands of
3' Darlington Nagbe gets forward well and finds Michael Bradley near the top of the box. The midfielder sends in a cross but it goes wide of everyone in the box.
2' After T&T had held onto some possession, Dempsey wins the ball back from Kevin Molina and Christian Pulisic is pulled down in midfield by Khaleem Hyland to give the US a free-kick in midfield.
1' It looks like Trinidad & Tobago have changed formations here and dropped into a three-back formation instead of the initial four-back that we had expected.
1' Clint Dempsey starts things off here in Denver tonight!
Kick-off is a few minutes away here on a big World Cup qualifier for both teams.
Notes: Deandre Yedlin makes his return to the starting eleven and John Brooks is fit enough to start tonight.
Trinidad & Tobago (4-2-3-1): J-M. Williams; Edwards, Cyrus, Bateau, J. Jones; Hyland, Lewis; Molino, M. Williams, George; K. Jones.
USA (4-1-3-2): Howard; Yedlin, Cameron, Brooks, Villafaña; Bradley; Nagbe, Pulisic, Johnson; Dempsey, Altidore.
Good evening everyone and welcome to our coverage of tonight's game as the US look to move up the table and Trinidad & Tobago look to come off the bottom. Starting line ups are as follows...
USA 2, Trinidad & Tobago 0
Prediction: This looks like it should be a routine win for the USMNT especially considering the expectations of the home fans that they will be playing in front of on Thursday. There is just too much quality up front for the US for Trinidad & Tobago to be able to keep out for a full 90 minutes so unless something incredibly unexpected happens, the USMNT should win this game.
Projected Lineup for Trinidad & Tobago: Williams; David, Bateau, J. Jones, Cyrus; Mitchell, Hyland, Boucaud, Williams, Molina; K. Jones.
Projected Lineup for USMNT: Howard; Villafaña, Gonzalez, Ream, Cameron; Bradley, Bedoya, Pulisic, Nagbe; Dempsey, Altidore.
The match will be played at Dick's Sporting Goods Stadium in Commerce City, CO on June 8th, 2017. The game will broadcast on FS1, UniMás, and UDN.
To compound on the things that T&T have to overcome, Cordell Cato was dismissed from camp by head coach Dennis Lawrence for violation of team policy and thus leaves an already porous defense even more short-handed. It will be a tough task for the away side against the US on Thursday night but this is soccer, and in soccer, anything can happen if T&T make the most of their expected few chances in front of goal.
Trinidad & Tobago come into this game as underdogs and their current points tally in the 'Hex' reflects that. They have only managed to score two goals in their entire campaign and have had trouble keeping other teams away from their goal. One player who could make the difference for them should he receive the right service is Atlanta United FC frontman, Kenwyne Jones. Jones is a great aerial threat and has a good touch on him as well so if given the right opportunities in front of goal, he could make the USMNT pay for any lapses in concentration. In Kevin Molina and Joevin Jones, T&T do have the right players to find Jones in the box when they get forward.
Where the USMNT have struggled as of late is in defense, and in particular, in defending set pieces. Their previous friendly draw against Venezuela on the weekend highlighted this issue and injuries to key personnel such as John Brooks will not help matters for the backline. Arena will look to address that during practice this week and hope that by the time kick-off starts, his defenders will have enough tactical nous to prevent any disastrous occurrences.
After last year's poor performances, which saw the end of Jürgen Klinsmann's reign over the USMNT, the team has picked up some good results to put them closer to where they want to be by the time qualification ends. A fourth place finish would not mean the end of the US' World Cup aspirations but they would have to go through a playoff scenario which is something that head coach Bruce Arena will be looking to avoid. The best way to do that would be with a win against T&T in their upcoming match. To do so, the USMNT will be looking to their attackers to make the difference against a that has conceded six goals in four matches. In Clint Dempsey, Jordan Morris, Christian Pulisic, and Jozy Altidore there should be enough firepower for the USMNT to manage this game successfully and come away with the points they want.
Two teams still trying to make their qualification a certain thing in the 'Hex' go head-to-head this week to try and push themselves further up the table. Both teams are on the lower end of the standings and will need to start picking up points on a regular basis from here on out if they want to earn a spot to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Hello and welcome to another game in the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying rounds otherwise known as the 'Hex'. The USA will be going up against Trinidad & Tobago and I, Kudzi Musarurwa, will be your host for that evening on VAVEL USA.