Goal.com - United States - WCQ Preview: United States - Trinidad and Tobago

Goal.com - United States - WCQ Preview: United States - Trinidad and Tobago: "WCQ Preview: United States - Trinidad and Tobago
With qualification for the Hexagonal already assured, the United States looks to get some fresh faces on the pitch when it takes on Trinidad & Tobago.

Who: United States vs Trinidad and Tobago
What: World Cup 2010 qualifying, CONCACAF semifinal round, Group 1
When: 8 pm ET, Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Where: Hasely Crawford Stadium; Port of Spain, Trinidad TV: ESPN and Galavision"

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By Noah Davis

Well that looked easy. After a dominating 6-1 victory over Cuba this weekend, the United States National Team finds itself assured of a place in the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualification with two matches remaining. The win allowed coach Bob Bradley to send Carlos Bocanegra, Michael Bradley, Steve Cherundolo, Brian Ching, Jay DeMerit, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Oguchi Onyewu home, while calling up sometime internationals Chris Rolfe, Brian Carroll, and Jonathan Bornstein, as well as newcomer Marvell Wynne.

Wednesday's game against Trinidad and Tobago marks a chance for to evaluate some younger talent in a hostile environment against a squad that absolutely needs this win. The match should provide an excellent trial by fire for Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore -- who look to start -- as well as show who can step up in the absence of the team's traditional veteran leadership.

One team needs a win
While the outcome doesn't matter for the United States, getting a result is Trinidad and Tobago's No. 1 priority. After four matches, the Soca Warriors sit on five points, even with Guatemala. Of any match in the semifinal round, the U.S. is at its most vulnerable in this one. (For November's game against Guatemala, Bradley could bring some of his regular vets back as pre-preparation for the Hexagonal.)

A T&T win, which isn't a stretch, would almost certainly give the squad the upper hand in the race for second place in Group A. It would also provide some measure of revenge for the 3-0 pasting the team suffered at the hands of the U.S. in September.

The leadership of Beasley
Before Saturday's game, followers of U.S. soccer (including, I'll admit, yours truly) were questioning the continued usefulness of the Beas on the national team. And for good reason: he had looked terrible since coming back from a gruesome knee injury. After two goals and, more importantly, a dynamic, inspired performance against Cuba, it's clear that the Rangers man wasn't been 100 percent until Saturday's match.

Now, he finds himself as both the most capped player and the one with the most goals on a team facing a tough, if ultimately meaningless, road game. How he handles the situation will likely reflect directly on the performance on the younger members of the team and dictate how the U.S. plays.

Give Torres, Adu and Altidore 90 minutes
All three impressed against Cuba on Saturday. That said, they were playing a squad that was beaten down both by the distraction of the defections and from playing with 10 men for the entire second half. T&T will provide a much better opponent. There will be no home crowd providing support, especially for Adu who fed off the love he received from the D.C. fan base. Landon won't be running the offense, nor will the defense will be anchored by Gooch, Bocanegra, and Tim Howard. Beasley will offer some help, but this trio represents the future of U.S. soccer. On Wednesday, there's no time like the present to show you're ready.

In Search of Kenny Cooper
Once again, the Dallas striker won't be partaking in a United States game. This time, however, it's his own choice. After getting a call from Bradley, Cooper decided against traveling to Port of Spain. "I made the difficult decision to pass on this opportunity because I had picked up a virus and have been playing with a sprained ankle," he told the FCD Dallas blog.

An acceptable decision -- especially since he needs to make an impression in his first appearance -- but afterwards he added some words about choosing his club team over the Nats: "Considering the importance of my club's game versus Real Salt Lake this week, and that the National Team has already clinched a berth in the next round of qualifying, I felt it was the right thing to do to stay in Dallas and make sure I get well, and hopefully there will be other opportunities down the line." This likely, and shouldn't, effect his future with the team, but maybe Kenny should keep your mouth shut next time.