USMNT vs. Trinidad and Tobago: Top Storylines and Predictions for Nations League 2023
Despite playing with a far from complete roster Thursday, the US men's national team still managed to come away with a 3-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in the first leg of the CONCAAF Nations League quarterfinals.
With several key players missing, like Tyler Adams, Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah, it wasn't exactly a vintage performance from manager Gregg Berhalterr's squad as they now have one foot in the door to next summer's Copa America.
Now, the US will attempt to finish the job Monday night (7 p.m. ET, TNT/Max) at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. If it does, it'll grab one of the six CONCACAF slots for the tournament.
Gaining qualification for Copa America would give Berhalterr a great opportunity to test his group against some of the best teams in the world like Argentina, Brazil and Colombia.
Luckily, the 3-0 cushion should be enough to get over the line, though it would be a bad idea to underestimate T&T, especially considering what happened during 2018 World Cup qualifications.
Regardless, the USMNT will be looking to end the international break on a high note.
Thin Midfield Faces Another Blow
Entering the international break the USMNT were already without several key pieces to its midfield due to injury. And it showed as they weren't able to take complete control of a T&T squad that was happy to sit back and defend.
And Saturday dealt another major blow as star Weston McKennie had to leave camp early after aggravating a left knee injury. He is dealing with a case of tendinopathy—a form of overuse.
McKennie—also a key piece for Juventus in Serie A—played the full game Thursday night but obviously won't be available for the second leg.
Yunus Musah is now the lone regular starter in midfield for the US as Tyler Adams is expected to be out of action until February after undergoing surgery on a hamstring injury.
McKennie played alongside Musah in a double pivot Thursday. It's expected that Celta Vigo's Luca de la Torre will step up in his place. And while the 25-year-old is certainly talented, he doesn't possess the same calming presence in the middle of the park as the guy he's replacing.
If the USMNT is going to participate in the Copa America this summer, they won't be able to afford an unhealthy midfield going up against a much higher caliber of teams throughout the tournament.
Juventus—who currently sits second in the Serie A table—will be hoping for a quick recovery for McKennie, who has started 10 of their 12 games this season. The Old Lady is trying to capture its first Scudetto since the 2019-20 season.
More Convincing Performance Needed
While it was a pretty good scoreline Thursday night for the USMNT, it didn't tell the full story of the team's performance.
As previously stated, Trinidad and Tobago were happy to sit back and absorb pressure in a low block for long periods of the night. And the US really struggled to break them down, not getting the breakthrough goal until the 82nd minute thanks to Ricardo Pepi.
Things opened up quickly after that as the away side had to spread themselves out a little more to go on the attack. The next two goals—from Antonee Robinson and Gio Reyna—came within the next seven minutes.
It was a win, but the contest showed that the US has a tough time when trying to break down teams who welcome pressure and are good at absorbing. Considering that the Americans had 76 percent possession and 26 shots, one would think they'd come away with a larger margin of victory.
However, only eight of those shots were on target.
Monday night should be a bit more straight forward as T&T will have to be aggressive in attack from the jump as they try and make up for the 3-0 deficit of the first leg.
That means the US should have some more freedom and look more convincing.
Prediction
United States 4, Trinidad and Tobago 1
Expect the US to get on the board much quicker than Thursday night as T&T will be looking to get back in the tie, leaving themselves a bit more exposed at the back.
It'll be interesting to see if Berhaltter decides to rotate the squad a little bit as they should be able to advance fairly easily thanks to the first leg. It could be an opportunity to take a deeper look at some of the US' depth.
Reyna should once agin loom large, especially in the absence of McKennie. He'll be counted to provide even more playmaking in addition to his attacking duties.
However, don't be surprised if T&T nab a goal with their increased offensive push.
US fans should still start preparing themselves for the Nations League semis.