Trinadad & Tobago v. US: 9/9/2009

Port of Spain, Trinidad

And the starters are:

GK - Howard: Yup.

LB - Bocanegra: He has to start at LB, I can't see any other option.

CB - Onyewu: His presence will be a positive for the back line but he will need to be his steely self against Kenwyne Jones, forward for T&T

CB - Marshall: With Demerit heading back to England, Marshall should get the nod.

RB - Spector: Expect him to play well and lock down the RB spot.

M - Donovan: The US will need him to help Feilhaber & Bradley out more if they keep giving the ball up with regularity.  Drop him inside a little so that he is more behind Altidore/Davies but in front of Feilhaber/Bradley.  His vision should help set up chances.

M - Feilhaber: Both he and Bradley need to step up and deliver a clutch performance. At this point, as much as I like Feilhabers game, he needs to show Bradley & the rest of us that he is the man for the central attacking midfielder role. If he doesn't deliver a strong full 80 - 85 minutes, Bradley is going to start looking at other options very soon.

M - Bradley: He has to stay behind Feilhaber so that Feilhaber can connect with the other attacking US players. If he stays a little deeper, fills in the space between the US attacking midfielders & defenders, and breaks up passing lanes (and getting forward when needed) the US should come home with the full three points.  Is that too much to ask?

M - Dempsey: We need a strong 50-60 minutes from him.  Depending on the scoreline, I think Holden comes in at some point for Dempsey.  This is for two reasons: 1)Dempsey will probably be tired from all the traveling & the match against El Salvador 2)Bradley needs to get Holden on the pitch & what better way than a away qualifying match to test his meddle.

F - Altidore: This is the type of game that affords him the opportunity to be the focal point for the US attack.  As the target man his first touch will need to be better so that he can hold the ball up, distribute it to the other attackers, and be a general physical force against the T&T defense.

F - Davies: As long as the calf injury from the previous match isn't an issue, he will be involved and eager to attack.  Hopefully he an Altidore can make life miserable for the T&T backline and that this will translate into more goals.

Subs:

Holden: Bradley knows he has to get him on the field & will do so.  He provides an overall spark for the US and much needed late game energy.

Clark: If the US is winning in the 2nd half with less than 25 minutes to go, he should come in off the bench.  Some other dubious writers are saying that he will start.  I can't see it in a game that the US has to win.  He doesn't bring anything offensively but his defense is great which is why he is a late game sub.

Torres: If he is given the opportunity to play I think he knows he has to make an impression on Bradley.  His style of play (good with the ball at this feet, makes good decisions on the ball, plays well out of tight spaces) should enable the US to take a little more possession late in the game.

Overall:

The US has to win in Port-of-Spain.  By winning (and a Honduras loss at Mexico) the US will be at the top of the group heading into the last two qualifiers.  The qualifier at Honduras in October is not a match I want to head into needing to get any more points than one. 

The US squad needs to play the full 90+ minutes.  Unfortunately we haven't seen them do this since the victory organist Spain (sorry, I don't count the 2009 Gold Cup games). T&T just got smoked by Honduras on the road and will be looking to have a little more pride at home.  While I don't expect the US to score bunches of goals, a shutout would feel good. At this point it is all about avoiding the 4th CONCACAF spot & automatically qualifying for the WC.

Predictions:

T&T 0 v US 2

HON 1 v MEX 3 (MEX scores all three in the second half)

ELS 1 v CR 1