After the United States survived an early scare in their first World Cup qualifying match to win the match, 6-1, they now have to jet across the Caribbean to visit Trinidad and Tobago, a small team in CONCACAF that nevertheless has flashed some moments of quality, including making the knockout rounds of last summer Gold Cup and causing CONCACAF teams a number of headaches over the years.
USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch World Cup qualifying online
The USMNT have a chance to start pulling away from their World Cup qualifying group early on with another win in this match.
Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports
This match gives the USMNT not just a chance to pick up their second qualifying win and to start creating space early in this group stage, but also to start creating separation between them and the rest of the group, as Trinidad also won their first match against Guatemala. A hot start and early separation like that can help make the closing rounds of the qualifiers much easier and lower pressure, and keeping the pressure down is a huge must for a United States national team that’s very much in transition right now in terms of its personnel.
Key player -- DeAndre Yedlin (United States)
Let’s not mess around: Yedlin was not good in the USMNT’s last match. At all. He got caught out of position or on the wrong foot far too many times, and it cost the US the one goal that St. Vincent earned and gave them a few other difficult moments in the first half. He doesn’t just need to do better in this match, he has to, or his place in the national team could be at risk, because if he plays like that against better competition, the USMNT will not win matches.
Key factor -- The USMNT’s focus
The USMNT came out in the start of their match against St. Vincent assuming that they had already won it -- and then St. Vincent scored just a few minutes in, because the US weren't focused on the match or what they were doing. They were much better after that early scare and bounced back to a resounding 6-1 win, but they can't afford to slip like that again. Trinidad and Tobago may not be top-shelf competition in CONCACAF, but they're certainly much better than St. Vincent, and will be much more lethal in punishing their opponents' mistakes. If the United States comes out flat and looking ahead again, they may give up more than one goal before they wake up, and they're going to have a much harder time scoring six again if they do.
Match Date/Time: Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. ET, 7:30 p.m. local
Venue: Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
TV: beIN Sports (U.S. - English), NBC Universo (U.S. - Spanish)
Online: beIN Sports Connect, Fubo TV (U.S. - English), NBC Deportes En Vivo Extra (U.S. - Spanish)
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