If one were to just look at the scoreline from last Friday’s game against St. Vincent and the Grenadians, one might assume that the U.S. Men’s National Team had a cakewalk.
The USMNT did in fact dominate the Caribbean minnow, but for a few moments in the beginning of the game, the Americans found themselves down to the underdog.
Oalex Anderson cut inside from the left wing, beating Geoff Cameron then DeAndre Yedlin before slotting a shot past goalkeeper Brad Guzan. The goal left many stunned, but the reaction by the USMNT was quick and lethal as Bobby Wood scored the equalizer six minutes later. That response will be an important lesson to draw upon, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann says, as the team heads to Port of Spain to play Trinidad & Tobago on Tuesday (6:30 p.m., beIN Sports).
“You go down a goal to a nation like St. Vincent and for a moment it makes you look really bad,” Klinsmann said. “You expect positive body language, you expect a reaction right away, you expect a higher tempo, and all they did all those things. They knew exactly how to react to a problem and they could face that against Trinidad & Tobago, especially away from home.
“Maybe things aren’t going your way and suddenly they might score or things aren’t working out the way you want, and you want them to have a positive spirit, a positive attitude – the attitude that no matter what happens, we’re going to get the job done.”
The USMNT held more than 80 percent of possession against St. Vincent and the Grenadians, but the same is not expected to happen on Tuesday.
T&T and the USMNT met four times during the 2010 World Cup qualifying cycle. While the U.S. won once and lost once away from the States, no meeting in the history of these two sides has been decided by more than a goal when played in the Caribbean.
The Americans’ next World Cup qualifier is sure to be tough, but the Soca Warriors’ recent play, as well as the humidity, has Klinsmann thinking that they will be in for much more of a battle.
“I think Trinidad & Tobago and probably Haiti have been the biggest winners or surprises in CONCACAF this year,” Klinsmann said. “They played a very good Gold Cup and also had some good results in friendlies and other test games. You have to give Trinidad & Tobago a lot of respect. They’re known for their physical game and known for being strong.
“A lot of their players play in the English Championship and obviously playing at home they have a lot of confidence, and they want to prove to the world that they’re a good team. Over the years they’ve improved themselves on the technical side and on the mental side as well.”
Not only did the Soca Warriors have a good summer, the Caribbean nation also just secured an important road win against Guatemala on Thursday. With the result, the USMNT sits just above T&T in CONCACAF’s Group C, and Klinsmann wants to see it stay that way come Tuesday evening.
“The fact they got a win in Guatemala City is huge for them. It gives them a good feeling going up against the United States,” he said. “We have to be prepared for that – it’s one of the reasons we came to Trinidad & Tobago early.
“We flew right after our game all the way from St. Louis down to Port of Spain to be prepared. We’ll be prepared for the climate and we’ll be prepared for a very physical battle.”
What do you think of Klinsmann’s comments? How do you think the U.S. will fare tomorrow against the Soca Warriors?
Share your thoughts below.
a lot of their players play in the English Championship… aka ONE player. Klinsmann lying about the level of the opponent to make himself look better… he’s full of (sh)it
I did a quick check and two players are on teams that were in the Championship last season but got relegated, so they may have played in the Championship last season. Kenwyn Jones spent quite a few years in the Premier League and 4 players are listed as being on MLS teams. So, it is an exaggeration, but not quite as bad as you suggest. I hate to burst your bubble, but coaches over hyping their opponents before a game is not only not rare, it is pretty common. Lou Holtz at Notre dame football was notorious for this, as just one example.
not saying it never happens, but it’s annoying. as for those 2 players who got relegated from the championship last year… justin hoyte got relegated after playing a whopping 2 league games for milwall last year, and it doesn’t appear he’s a consistent starter in league 2 this year so that’s not good. couldn’t find the other player…
plus, there’s a difference between saying something like “they have many players who play at a high level” and just blatantly lying. I don’t have any time for that type of crap
Yes Luke that is a tactic Klinsmann has used from the get go. In his intro press conference he said Mexico was a top 10 team and the USA was at a lower level than Mexico entirely.
Call in Caligiuri. Send a case of Pert Plus Shampoo with him.
Regardless of the history between the two sides, nothing short of 3 points will be satisfactory in my eyes. T&T are a good side, and they have improved this year and given Mexico all they could handle and then some in their last two meetings, but we need to win right now to right the ship. If Jurgen wants to pacify his critics, the way to do that is get 6 points in this first round of games. We have the team to do it, they have more than enough talent to compete and get a W. It’s all about mentality, tactics, and execution.
I don’t think anyone is saying play for a draw, but if it happens its as good as a win as far as advancing. US and TnT are the class of the group. I think if we’ve learned anything about Jurgen he could care less about his critics. Even just winning the final two home matches and at SVG probably is enough for the US to advance at this point this Guatemala got no points at home to TnT.
Well, I’m saying play for the draw for the first 70 minutes, unless you fall behind, of course. Then you go for the win in the last 15 or 20 minutes. A draw on the road is always good enough. It’s not T&T we have to beat, only Guatemala and St. Vincent. The first 2 teams go through and their order has no bearing on their placement in the next round of qualifying. In 2014, Mexico only got to the WC through a play off with New Zealand. They then got to the Round of 16. In 2010 Uruguay only got to the WC after a play off with Costa Rica. They got to the semi-finals. It doesn’t matter how you get into the WC, only that you do and then how well you do once you get in. In 2014 England didn’t get out of their WC group, despite winning their qualifying group. Which team had a better result in 2014–Mexico or England? Duh, Mexico, of course.
I would go with:
…………Jozy……..Wood………
Fabian…………………………Zardes
……….MB………..JJ……………..
Ream……Besler….Cameron……Yedlin
…………..Howard……………………..
But you may see Fabian at Right Back and Yedlin sitting to start. But then I don’t know who would play left. But with JK you never really know what’s coming.
My starting eleven……442 diamond
………..jozy…………wood…….
Fabian…….nagbe……….zardes
……………..Bradley……..
Ream…besler…..Cameron…..yedlin