Consistency the Key for USMNT Moving Forward in World Cup Qualifying

The United States men's national team breezed to their first win of World Cup qualifying on Friday night just like we all expected. 

But now that three points are in the bag in the form of a 6-1 win over St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the real challenge begins for the Yanks as they embark on a trip to Port of Spain to take on Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday. 

Unlike Friday's romp of the Caribbean island, the Yanks are not expected to come out of Tuesday's match with a victory. But USMNT manager Jurgen Klinsmann did lay down a blueprint for how a victory could be earned against the Soca Warriors. 

The one thing Klinsmann has lacked in his time as USMNT manager is consistency. The German boss is known for altering his lineups for every match and playing certain members of the squad out of position. 

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In a shocking turn of events on Friday, Klinsmann started Fabian Johnson on the wing instead of defense. Johnson was aligned on the left wing in front of Tim Ream, who has started to become the closest thing to a first-team full back. Klinsmann also moved DeAndre Yedlin to right back after his recent international excursions on the wing as a starter and substitute.

We did see Gyasi Zardes remain on the wing, but an argument can be made that the LA Galaxy man is still trying to find where he fits best for club and country given the wealth of talent in both squads. Instead of placing Zardes next to Jozy Altidore up top, Klinsmann handed Bobby Wood a much-deserved start. 

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Even at center back, where Klinsmann's recent experiments have failed miserably, there was consistency with Geoff Cameron and Matt Besler next to each other for 64 minutes before Matt Miazga made his USMNT debut.

Looking back on things, Cameron and Besler probably should have been the first-choice pair during the CONCACAF Gold Cup, but a litany of reasons kept them from forming a formidable partnership over the summer. 

Now that things are serious once again for the Yanks, Klinsmann must remain consistent with his squad to build up momentum ahead of the Copa America Centenario and the hexagonal round of World Cup qualifying. 

That means Klinsmann should keep certain players at the same positions for the next three qualifiers and whatever important friendlies appear on the schedule ahead of the Copa America Centenario in June.

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If that means keeping Clint Dempsey out of the starting lineup or the squad entirely and phasing veterans Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman out of the squad in the near future, than Klinsmann should do just that.

Sure, all three players are reliable, but if they keep playing vital roles in the USMNT setup, they will take away minutes from the future stars of the team like Yedlin, Wood and Darlington Nagbe. 

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Jones was the only one of the elder trio mentioned above who featured in a major role on Friday night, but even he can be replaced by younger, more versatile athletes who have not been key fixtures in the USMNT squad yet. The time is now for Wil Trapp, Emerson Hyndman and maybe even the older Dax McCarty to guide the Yanks toward Russia. 

If Friday is any example of what the future may bring, fans of the USMNT should be excited. While we can't take too much away from a 6-1 win over the 129th-ranked team in the world, we can look at the alterations made by Klinsmann as a positive moving forward. 

Klinsmann allowed Yedlin and Johnson to shine in the roles they have thrived in at the club level for Sunderland and Borussia Monchengladbach respectively; he let Wood develop a bit of chemistry with Altidore; and he let Nagbe and Miazga get their feet wet at international level before Tuesday's massive road trip. 

It is right to still feel a little skeptical about Klinsmann keeping with his decision-making from Friday night given his history with the USMNT, but if he lets the core of Friday's starting lineup develop a chemistry in the next nine months, the Yanks could be set to challenge Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and others in the important Copa America Centenario.

Joe Tansey covers U.S. Soccer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.