US MEN'S football coach Gregg Berhalter said he expects a "good test" from Trinidad and Tobago who need a miracle to turn around an 0-3 deficit in Monday's second leg of the 2023 Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. The match kicks off at 8pm.
The US left it late against ten-man TT in the first leg in Austin, Texas, but still prevailed 3-0 to put one foot into the semis.
The winner over the two legs will not only qualify for the Nations League semi-finals, but will earn a spot at the 2024 Copa America.
US won the first leg on Thursday courtesy three goals in the final ten minutes. TT's Noah Powder was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in the 37th minute, but the Soca Warriors defence held firm until the deadlock was broken in the 82nd minute by Ricardo Pepi. Antonee Robinson added a second goal in the 86th minute, before Giovanni Reyna rounded off the scoring in the 89th minute.
Speaking to the media at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Sunday, Berhalter said, "We talked at the end of the (first) game, (saying) we are only halfway there so now we have another half of this 180-minute game...It is going to need intensity, it is going to need determination and teamwork and we will be ready then because it is an opportunity for us to go to the semi-finals of the Nations League, to go to Copa America."
Asked if fans could expect any experimentation in the second leg with a 3-0 cushion, Berhalter said, "It is not time to experiment. We are focusing on the result, we are focusing on the opportunities we have in this match and I think it will be getting ahead of ourselves (to experiment)."
[caption id="attachment_1046118" align="alignnone" width="1024"] US players warm-up during a training session on Sunday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. - US Soccer[/caption]
Berhalter said the Soca Warriors made them work in the first leg. "I also credited TT for their amazing effort and I stand by that. They did a great job. Their coach (Angus Eve) was animated on the sideline, getting them going and they really had a fighting spirit."
TT and the US have a long history of matches, but the rivalry really took off during the 1990 World Cup campaign. US silenced a capacity crowd at Hasely Crawford Stadium on November 19, 1989 with a 1-0 win to seal a spot at the 1990 Italy World Cup. The result prevented TT from qualifying.
Berhalter, who got over 40 caps in his international playing career, said matches between the two countries are always entertaining.
"They are always good matches. I remember the 1989 match, obviously 2017," Berhalter said. In 2017, a long-distance strike from TT defender Alvin Jones ended USA's chance of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Jones's goal helped TT win 2-1 at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva.
Berhalter believes TT are starting to produce talented players again. "They had a really strong generation, they are replenishing that now. You could see some real quality young players...TT has been around for a while, has bee
