United States vs Trinidad & Tobago

A place in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup knockout stages is on the line as the United States and Trinidad & Tobago go head-to-head at the Bank of America Stadium.

Following an underwhelming 1-1 draw against Jamaica to kick things off in Group A, the United States continued their Gold Cup campaign with an emphatic 6-0 victory over minnows St Kitts & Nevis on Thursday. In addition to equaling their biggest-ever Gold Cup triumph, BJ Callaghan’s high-flyers have extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to eight matches (W5, D3). Avoiding defeat would seal the seven-time Gold Cup winners’ place in the knockout stages, which looks virtually inevitable, considering the USMNT have won their last two meetings with Trinidad 6-0 and 7-0. Another H2H success would ensure their progress as group winners, and given that they’ve racked up seven clean sheets in eight encounters against Trinidad since a 2-1 defeat in 2008 (W6, D1, L1), optimism must be at an all-time high.

On the other hand, Trinidad & Tobago’s Gold Cup campaign was off to a flying start as they thumped St Kitts & Nevis 3-0 in their Group A curtain-raiser. However, an embarrassing 4-1 defeat to Jamaica on day two means they must better the Jamaicans’ result against the worst team in this section to reach the knockouts. The odds might be firmly stacked against them, but after beating the Americans 2-1 on home soil to prevent them from qualifying for the 2018 World Cup back in 2017, they could be cautiously enthusiastic. Yet, the ‘Soca Warriros’ have never triumphed against the USMNT away from home (D1, L15), drawing a blank in their last ten H2Hs on foreign soil (L10), which may dampen their spirits.