With a win tonight in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, the United States can take the first real step towards qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. While three points won't earn them a spot in the finals field, it will guarantee a top four finish; barring a collapse in their remaining two matches (away to Honduras and home to Costa Rica), the Americans should be on their way to their fifth consecutive World Cup.
The last time the Yanks faced off against the Soca Warriors, April 1st in Nashville, Jozy Altidore held his coming out party. The young striker, in the lineup despite being unable to get a game on the club level, scored a hat trick. The Americans did what they were supposed to that day, thumping T&T at home. It would stand to reason then, that the US is due for another comfortable win; T&T isn't in Central America, after all, so that dreaded record of poor away form shouldn't be an issue.
Bob Bradley has re-molded his team since that night in Nashville, with several players staking their claim to first eleven places. Three starters in that match, DeMarcus Beasley, Frankie Hejduk, and Pablo Mastroeni, did not even make the training roster for this round. Charlie Davies, who wasn't a major factor in the National Team picture at the time, has come on rapidly, and is now an almost sure selection.
Still, even with so many positive changes, things will not be easy. The Americans are the better team, that much is clear and certain; whether they can bring their superior talent to bear on the match tonight is another issue altogether. Despite being at home and superior to El Salvador, the US did have a few issues on Saturday, and might be a little lucky to have escaped with three points. Simply controlling the game does not always bring victory, as a few critical moments can turn a match on its head and produce an unexpected result.
Are the Americans both confident and focused enough to dominate on the road tonight? The answer to that question could very well determine if they leave Port of Spain with a triumphant three points and the guarantee of at least a fourth place finish in the Hexagonal, a disappointing draw (which still might guarantee fourth is El Salvador lose to Costa Rica), or a deflating loss. Saturday in Utah, at least for many, did nothing to assuage fears that the US loses themselves a bit when facing inferior competition; the expectation of a resounding win is tough to carry confidently when the team fails to live up to them.
Trinidad & Tobago will be looking to avenge their humiliating loss to the Americans in April, and restore some pride to their terribly disappointed Hexagonal campaign. They will come out with purpose, buoyed by the home crowd, and they might even push the action for the initial phase of the game. If Bob Bradley has properly prepared his team, and if the US has learned from the El Salvador match in recent days, then they will absorb the pressure, take the game by the neck, and dominate the rest of the way. If they truly are the superior team across the board and want to assert themselves, they'll go even further and push the islanders from the start. Either way, they need to do something to restore some of the lost faith; three points is three points, but style matters to many. Beat who you should, and do so convincingly, and the naysayers lose some steam.
The phrase "trap game", while not often applied to soccer, is nonetheless a worn and aged sporting cliché; any game where one team is a prohibitive favorite but faces a few challenges could be easier give the label. For the US, coming off the Saturday match with El Salvador, travelling to an island nation where distractions abound (see Jozy's Tweet from poolside yesterday), and missing one of their strongest defenders (Jay DeMerit) could make tonight's match a classic trap game. Over-confidence or complacency would be disastrous.
Bob Bradley's task then, is to not only set his team out with the best possible chance for victory through lineup and tactics, but to gauge his side's mental health and direct his energies accordingly. To abuse another cliché, it's crunch time, and all parties involved must step up their game.
Anything less than a victory against the bottom team in the Hexagonal standings should not be acceptable.
I full expect the US to win tonight, and I'm hoping they do so in resounding fashion. With Oguchi Onyewu back in central defense, the back line should be much stronger than they were against El Salvador. Jozy Altidore and Charlie Davies continue to develop a dynamic partnership up top, and Landon Donovan is at the height of his powers. If they can limit mistakes and stay away from silly, rash fouls (i.e. cards), tonight should be more of a cakewalk than a trap game.
We hope. USA 2, T&T 0.
