USMNT vs. St
- 1. Jurgen Klinsmann’s squad should beat St. Vincent and the
Grenadines but if USA falters the heat will really be one him.
USMNT vs. St. Vincent & the Grenadines preview
By: Mario Amaya on Friday, November 13, 2015 · Leave a Comment
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It has only been a year and a half since the United States was being eliminated
from the 2014 World Cup by Belgium in extra time in the round of 16, but a new
World Cup qualifying cycle begins for the Red, White, and Blue when they take
on St. Vincent & the Grenadines Friday night. It begins the long road to qualify
to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Both teams kick off the action in Group C
which also features Trinidad & Tobago and Guatemala. The top two teams of
the group will qualify to the final round of qualifiers as part a sixteam round
known as the “Hexagonal” or “The Hex” for short.
The United States men’s national will look to put on a good showing in front of
a near sellout crowd at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO. This game has come at
the perfect time for the United States National team, as they want to bounce
back from their slump. The team has only won one of their last six games. They
have also lost three consecutive home games.
The United States had a really bad summer, finishing fourth in the CONCACAF
Gold Cup, the team’s worst finish in the tournament since 2000 where they
were eliminated in the quarterfinals against Colombia, along with missing their
opportunity of securing a place in the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia, after
losing 32 to arch rival Mexico in the CONCACAF Cup last month.
Due to the team’s recent form, questions have arisen on the continuation of US
head coach and Jürgen Klinsmann and whether his tactics and player callups
have been effective. Coachplayer relations came into question after
Klinsmann was critical of winger Fabian Johnson after the loss to Mexico, after
he was substituted in the 111th minute of the match. Johnson complained of
tightness in his leg muscle, which led Klinsmann to send Johnson home prior
to their friendly against Costa Rica.
For this game, Klinsmann decided to call up two fresh faces to the USMNT
Darlington Nagbe of the Portland Timbers and Matt Miazga of the New York
Red Bulls. Nagbe, who recently became a US citizen, has proven to be one of the top midfielders in MLS for the last four years, being an
integral part of the Timbers midfielder as a proven goal scorer. Miazga has been an important part of the New York Red Bulls defense. The
young product of the Red Bulls academy has not only been a major player in the New York Red Bulls conquest of the Supporter Shield, but
was a stand out with the US U20 national team. He was one of the key players for them in the U20 World Cup in New Zealand over the
summer where they were eliminated by eventual winners Serbia.
Klinsmann shocked everyone in this latest callup when he omitted Clint Dempsey off the list and opted to go for younger players such as
Jordan Morris from Stanford, Gyazi Zardes of the Los Angeles Galaxy and Miguel Ibarra of Club Leon in Mexico, but also calling up
mainstays Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore of Toronto FC, Tim Howard of Everton FC in England and Jermaine Jones of the New
England Revolution, mixing youth and experience in this latest callup.
St. Vincent & the Grenadians defeated Aruba 32 on aggregate to get to this stage of World Cup qualifiers. They last reached this stage in
2004 for the 2006 World Cup qualifiers where they finished third in their group behind Trinidad & Tobago and Mexico. Promising striker
Tevin Slater leads the Vincy Heat. The 21yearold forward has scored eight goals in 12 appearances for his national team including two
goals in this World Cup qualifier.
This will be the firstever meeting between both the US and St. Vincent & the Grenadians, which makes this game of vital importance for
