United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann will be taking no chances in their World Cup 2018 qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday.
USA began their campaign with a resounding 6-1 victory against St Vincent and the Grenadines, despite an early scare when Oalex Anderson put the visitors ahead inside five minutes.
The victory was Klinsmann s 43rd as coach of the national team, though he trails Bruce Arena s record of 71 wins accumulated between 1998 and 2006.
Trinidad and Tobago reached the quarter-finals of the 2015 Gold Cup, suffering elimination at the hands of Panama, who went on to beat USA on penalties in the third-place play-off.
The German believes such form warrants due care from his side.
I think Trinidad and Tobago and probably Haiti have been the biggest winners or surprises in CONCACAF this year, Klinsmann told USSoccer.com.
They played a very good Gold Cup and also had some good results in friendlies and other test games.
You have to give Trinidad and Tobago a lot of respect. They’re known for their physical game and known for being strong.
A lot of their players play in the English Championship and obviously playing at home they have a lot of confidence, and they want to prove to the world that they’re a good team.
The USA coach reckons their opponents recent performance make them more serious contenders to qualify for the tournament in Russia.
It comes down to a mental grind when you go through World Cup qualifying, which at the end of the day is 16 games, he said.
This is a long path it s a marathon as we say and I think teams like Trinidad Tobago and Haiti have become more prepared for that.
The Caribbean side began their campaign with a 2-1 win away at Guatemala, and Khaleem Hyland – who scored the opening goal in that match is hoping for a full house in Port of Spain.
It will be a very big game. We have been playing great football for a long time and we hope we can get a full crowd – full support for the game against USA, he said.
Trinidad and Tobago s last triumph over USA came in 2008, when Russell Latapy and Dwight Yorke propelled them to a 2-1 victory in World Cup qualifying.
Brad Guzan and Jozy Altidore – who moved clear of Brian McBride to become USA s fourth all-time highest scorer on 31 with his double against St Vincent and the Grenadines – were both part of the defeated American side.
