Injuries are piling up for Gregg Berhalter but the goal is simple for the USMNT — avoid losing by more than two goals and they stay alive in the Concacaf Nations League but they’ll also book a place in the 2024 Copa America which will be held in the United States next summer. With a chance to test themselves against CONMEBOL opposition, it will be a great competitive test to make up for the fact that the USMNT won’t go through World Cup qualifying due to hosting the next edition.
While the USMNT can’t be complacent heading to Trinidad and Tobago, they are helped by already being ahead by three goals which offsets the concern of not having midfielder Weston McKennie available.
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Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Monday, Nov. 20 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Location: Hasley Crawford Stadium — Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago
- TV: TNT | Live stream: MAX
- Odds: Trinidad & Tobago +2100; Draw +700; USMNT -1000
Players to watch
With the match being a likely victory for the United States, it’s more about how players can improve their stock in the absence of Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Tim Weah, and McKennie, so let’s look at a few.
Kevin Paredes: Almost assured a spot on the Olympic roster in 2024, Paredes has an opportunity to show what he can do as he looks to translate club form to the international stage. While Paredes didn’t have a good showing in the first leg against Trinidad, part of the goal of building up a young player is by keeping faith in them after a small setback. Extremely talented, it is a good chance to see how he improves with match experience and time in training under Berhalter.
Lennard Maloney: While a defensive midfielder may not be needed in the match, with McKennie unavailable, Yunus Musah will likely push higher up allowing Maloney to show what he can do in the center of the park. The role as Adams’ replacement is wide open so seeing what he has in Maloney needs to happen sooner than later for Berhalter.
Folarin Balogun: While Balogun has been excellent in his short time with the USMNT, he needs to gain chemistry with other wingers who aren’t Weah and Pulisic. Isolated at times in leg one, this is a time with more training where similarly to Paredes, it will be good to see what has changed. At this stage, most of the USMNT players have been playing together for years but as Balogun gets more minutes under his belt, off-ball runs will only get better as he knows where his teammates want to be.
Prediction
The USMNT won’t wait until the 82nd minute to open the scoring in this game as they roll to a comprehensive victory. Pick: Trinidad & Tobago 0, USMNT 5
