The US men's national team face Trinidad and Tobago clash on Sunday, July 2 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina to close off the group stage round of the 2023 Gold Cup
The American side lead Group A with four points in two games, while Trinidad and Tobago sit in third place with just one victory. But the carribean team can still qualify for the quarterfinals if they pull off a shock upset over the US.
Things started off in shaky fashion for USA, as they dug deep to secure a 1-1 draw with Jamaica in their opening game of the tournament. Brandon Vazquez, who for some reason can't get the start for the Stars and Stripes, proved to be effective off the bench with the equalizing goal. As expected, they made light work of St. Kitts and Nevis in their second game, winning 6-0 as Jesus Ferreira bagged his second hat-trick with the USMNT.
Trinidad and Tobago, on the other hand, started their Gold Cup campaign off in style, cruising to a 3-0 victory over St. Kitts and Nevis. MLS and Atlanta United youngster Ajani Fortune scored a stunning strike from distance to prove the Soca Warriors were too much for the Sugar Boyz. Though Trinidad and Tobago later struggled against the talented Jamaica, falling 4-1.
The two countries have met six times before, with the US winning four times and drawing once. The lone win that Trinidad and Tobago stands as the infamous 2-1 triumph in their home soil in November of 2017 that prevented the USMNT from getting on the plane to Russia for the 2018 World Cup. Since that defeat, the US has beaten the Soca Warriors by an aggregate score of 13-0 in two games played in 2019 and 2021.
Will the Stars and Stripes add to that lopsided aggregate scored, or will Trinidad and Tobago conjure up another shocking upset?
Where to watch USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago on TV/live stream?
When is kick-off? 7:00 PM EST
Where is the game being played? Bank of America Stadium
TV channel/live stream? Univision Network, TUDN, Fox
What time does TV coverage start? 6:45 PM EST
USA team news
Interim head coach B.J. Callaghan chose to rotate his squad against St. Kitts and Nevis, and it worked out just as he planned. He was able to rest key figures like goalkeeper Matt Turner, DeAndre Yedlin, and Jordan Morris, while giving younger players Jalen Neal, Byran Reynolds and Cade Cowell valuable experience.
However, it would make sense for Callaghan to go for a more straightforward lineup for this game - as the US don't want to mess about and secure their place in the quarterfinals. Callaghan may call on Neal again as he's impressed, allowing defenders Miles Robinson (hamstring) and Aaron Long (head) to continue recovering from slight injuries.
Up front, Jordan Morris experienced some knee irritation following the draw against Jamaica and didn't feature St. Kitts and Nevis, but was on the bench. While it's always good to have options to choose from, Callaghan should feel confident with his options at striker with the in-form Jesus Ferreira and Brandon Vazquez.
Trinidad and Tobago team news
The goal scoring success that was found in their opening game against the Sugar Boyz seemed to have run out when Trinidad and Tobago came up against Jamaica. A win would've secured their place in the quarterfinals, but head coach Angus Eve and his squad were unable to complete the feat.
Eve revealed that defender Tristan Hodge was unable to start against Jamaica due to a light hamstring injury, while forward Kaile Auvray had a minor knock that saw him feature off the bench.
Columbus Crew player Kevin Molino also came off the bench later in the game as he was dealing with fatigue.
Eve, who also coaches the Soca Warriors U20 team, thought the game would play out much differently: "I tried to keep the game as tight as possible in the first half, so we could go out and express ourselves in the second half. But we didn’t defend well."
"I formulated a plan and we got the goal," Eve said post-game. "Unfortunately, we seemed to be a bit nervous tonight. Names seemed to have scared us. I thought in the second half we were way more positive… I thought in the second half we were really in the game and we created a lot of chances."
Prediction
B.J. Callaghan will more than likely go for a much stronger lineup compared to the one he chose against St. Kitts and Nevis, doing everything possible to steer the USMNT towards a first place finish in Group A.
The Soca Warriors will be more of a test than St. Kitts and Nevis were, but probably not as much as Jamaica were. The US will probably have to spend large parts of the game breaking down the Trinidad and Tobago defense, and they should still be able to create chances to move on past the group stage.
Prediction: USA 3 - 1 Trinidad and Tobago
This article was originally published on 90min as USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago - Gold Cup preview: TV channel/live stream, team news & prediction .
