USA vs. Trinidad & Tobago, Concacaf Championship: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, and Match Thread

Welcome to your live thread for the United States Women's National Team against Trinidad & Tobago in Group A play in the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship (7:30 p.m., FS1 and UDN). The USWNT is through to the knockout stage after wins against Mexico and Panama but a win tonight will give the Yanks a sweep as they march toward World Cup qualification. The U.S. leads Group A on six points with a +11 goal differential and head-to-head wins over the only two sides capable of reaching six points.

Eight teams are chasing three direct berths into the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. The U.S. just needs to take care of business tonight and then win once in the knockout stage to qualify.

The U.S. is 10-0-0 in the all-time series since it began back in 1991. Trinidad & Tobago did put a scare into the USWNT back in 2015 World Cup qualifying, when Abby Wambach’s goal was the difference in a 1-0 U.S. win. The teams last met in 2016 Olympic qualifying, when the United States won, 5-0 in Houston. Orlando Pride striker Alex Morgan notched a hat trick and Tobin Heath and Carli Lloyd also scored.

The USWNT is 34-1-1 all-time in the Concacaf Championship, 13-0-2 in 2018, and 20-0-3 since the 2017 Tournament of Nations.

T&T destroyed the competition — Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, U.S. Virgin Islands and Grenada — to qualify for the Caribbean final qualifying round, out-scoring the teams from those other islands, 27-1. The Soca Princesses then beat Cuba, Antigua & Barbuda, and Bermuda, but lost to Jamaica to finish second in the Caribbean and qualify for the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship. Midfielder Kayla Taylor scored seven of T&T’s 12 goals during the final Caribbean qualifying round.

Trinidad & Tobago enters tonight having committed the most fouls in the tournament (26) and the most yellow cards (4). It’s a bad idea to give the U.S. set pieces, where players like Megan Rapinoe, Lindsey Horan, and Julie Ertz can do a lot of damage. On the flip side, T&T also has drawn the most fouls (23).

The United States shouldn’t have much difficulty against Trinidad & Tobago, which is already eliminated after two losses to open the tournament. The Soca Princesses will no doubt fight hard to try to take something back home and an upset win over the U.S. would be a big trophy to claim.

As always with the weaker teams in Concacaf, the key will be to withstand the early energy of the opponents and grind them down over the course of 90 minutes of relentless play. That’s how the U.S. beat Mexico, although the Yanks jumped all over Panama in the second group game.

Rosters

USWNT (Caps/Goals)

Goalkeepers (2): 18-Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride; 18/0), 1-Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 34/0).

Defenders (7): 7-Abby Dahlkemper (North Carolina Courage; 25/0), 19-Crystal Dunn (North Carolina Courage; 70/23), 20-Hailie Mace (UCLA; 3/0), 5-Kelly O’Hara (Utah Royals FC; 109/2), 4-Becky Sauerbrunn (Utah Royals FC; 144/0), 14-Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars; 26/0), 2-Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC; 23/0).

Midfielders (5): 6- Morgan Brian (Chicago Red Stars; 80/6), 8-Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars; 68/17); 9-Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 58/6), 16-Rose Lavelle (Washington Spirit; 15/3), 3-Samantha Mewis (North Carolina Courage; 39/8).

Forwards (6): 17-Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns; 139/22), 10-Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC; 261/105), 13-Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 148/92), 12-Christen Press (Utah Royals FC; 105/46), 11-Mallory Pugh (Washington Spirit; 39/12), 15-Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC; 141/40).

Trinidad & Tobago

Goalkeepers (2): 20-Saundra Baron (Unattached), 1-Kimika Forbes (Santa Fe, COL).

Defenders (9): 4-Rhea Belgrave (Real Dimension WFC), 7-Jonelle Cato (Trincity Nationals), 13-Jenelle Cunningham (Real Dimension WFC), 9-Liana Hinds (Unattached), 17-Lauryn Hutchinson (Unattached), 5-Arin King (Unattached), 2-Ayana Russell (QPCC), 16-Cecily Stoute (University of Georgia, USA), 8-Patrice Superville (QPCC).

Midfielders (5): 11-Janine Francois (Real Dimension WFC), 14-Karyn Forbes (Real Dimension WFC), 18-Naomie Guerra (St. Augustine FC), 15-Shenelle Henry (Unattached), 12-Kayla Taylor (Petrotrin).

Forwards (4): 19-Kennya Cordner (Il Sandiviken, NOR), 3-Mariah Shade (Petrotrin), 10-Tasha St. Louis (Real Dimension WFC), 6-Nastasha St. Louis (MIC St. Ann’s Rangers).

Referees

REF: Odette Hamilton (Jamaica).

AR1: Princess Brown (Jamaica).

AR2: Stephanie-Dale Yee Sing (Jamaica).

4th: Tatiana Guzman (Nicaragua).                                                              

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m. (ET).

Venue: WakeMed Soccer Park — Cary, NC.

TV: FS1, UDN.

Streaming: FOX Sports GO.

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow @StarsStripesFC, @ussoccer_wnt, and @TheManeLand.

Match Thread Rules

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Enjoy the match! Go America!