News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Feb. 1, 2021: There was high anticipation for the clash between the Trinidad & Tobago’s Soca Warriors and Team USA Sunday in Orlando, FL. But the years old rivalry turned into a pounding and a nightmare for Warriors fans, who had to watch their team decimated 0-7.
Team USA dominated from the get-go, leading to an early first goal in just the second minute from Jonathan Lewis.
Seven minutes later Lewis sent Sam Vines down the left side to center for Ferreira to fire home past goalie Adrian Foncette in the T&T goal.
Later, Ferreira turned provider when he was put through an open T&T defence, to release to an open Arriola to put past Foncette for a 3-0 lead in the 22nd minute.
The US completed a 4-0 half-time advantage when a weak defensive header by T&T international defender Federico Pena fell nicely in the centre of the park for Ferreira to quickly head on to an open Arriola. And with the goal at his mercy, Arriola hit firmly past Foncette in the 41st minute.
After the resumption, the USA continued their dominance by constantly putting the ball into the open spaces behinds the backs of the T&T defenders. And it led to their fifth goal as another searching long ball picked out Jackson Yueill behind Pena on the left side, and he quickly centred for Miles Robinson to connect with a diving header past Foncette.
The US got two other goals to seal their win in the 55th and 62nd minutes from Lewis and Ferreira respectively.
T&T had a chance at a consolation item in the 64th minute when Ryan Telfer was brought down in the area by captain Aaron Long, but with heads still hanging, Alvin Jones, the scorer of the winning goal that put the USA out of the 2018 World Cup behind a stunning 2-1 Qualifying victory at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva in December 2017, stepped up and fired straight to US goalkeeper Matt Turner.
T&T will return home to face regional opposition in two more friendly matches before they take the field for their opening World Cup qualifier against Guyana on March 25.
The has never lost to the island nation on home soil. Sunday’s match was the USMNT’s first friendly match vs. Trinidad since 1994 and just its fifth all-time.
The two nations have some memorable history, with each denying the other of a place in the FIFA World Cup on the final day of qualifying.
In 1989, the USMNT visited Port of Spain for its final World Cup qualifying match, needing a win to qualify for its first World Cup since 1950, while the hosts only needed a draw to book their first World Cup berth.
In front of a raucous over-capacity crowd, the USA shocked Trinidad and Tobago 1-0 with a legendary goal from midfielder Paul Caligiuri that would be known as “the shot heard ‘round the world” and sent the U.S. to the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy – its first tournament appearance in 40 years.
Eighteen years later, on the final day of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Trinidad & Tobago exacted revenge. The circumstances were slightly different, with the USMNT only needing a draw to book its World Cup ticket, while T&T had already been eliminated. The Soca Warriors benefitted from a first-half own goal, then a wonder strike from Alvin Jones to upset the USMNT 2-1 at Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva.
The two regional rivals last met at the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup, a 6-0 win for the United States that marked its largest margin of victory vs. Trinidad and tied its largest margin of victory at the Gold Cup. Defender Aaron Long, currently in camp with the USMNT, and forward Gyasi Zardes bagged braces to lead the way in Cleveland, Ohio. The goals were the first of Long’s international career and he made history that night by becoming the first USMNT defender to record two goals in a match.
Trinidad and Tobago hadn’t taken the field for international action in 14 months, last falling to Honduras 4-0 in November 2019 during Concacaf Nations League action.
