Trinidad falls to USA

The hopes that Trinidad would surmount a long standing drought in the USA would not be fulfilled as Trinidad fell to a 3-0 drubbing from the USA. Jozy Altidore effectively cemented his position on the USA starting 11 with a hat trick. A change of tactics saw a resurgent USA team assert themselves early and often.

In addition to the change in tactics, a change in attitude aided the Americans’ cause. An aggressive approach allowed the U.S. to enjoy a dominant first half, one in which they should have led by more than one goal. The Yanks also were dangerous from a variety of areas and angles, and the width that so often was lacking against El Salvador was a near-constant threat, with DaMarcus Beasley and Frankie Hejduk both continually pushing forward from their outside back positions.

The early part of the second half saw the U.S. less effective in attack, although that was due in part to Trinidad and Tobago coach Francisco Maturana’s decision to replace ineffective right back Anthony Wolfe with Makan Hislop. A bit more intensity on the part of the Soca Warriors also slowed the pace of the U.S. offense, and as the half progressed, the sense that the Americans might pay for not putting Trinidad and Tobago away when they had the chance began to gain some momentum.

The result amounted to a collective sigh of relief for the Americans. The Hexagonal is shaping up as a four-horse race for the three guaranteed qualifying spots, with the U.S., Mexico, Honduras and Costa Rica all in the mix. The fourth-place finisher will draw the unfortunate assignment of having to go to a playoff against the fifth-place finisher from South America, and the tie against El Salvador had created some concern that the U.S. would be sucked into the battle to avoid that position.With seven points now from three matches, the chances of the U.S. facing the playoff have lessened, although there still is plenty of work to be done.