U.S./TnT WCQ running blog

Clinching means new faces and starters for the U.S., including Torres.

----------------Guzan----------------
Hejduk---Califf---Orozco---Pearce
---------Edu--------Torres-----------
Kljestan-------Adu------Beasley (c)
--------------Altidore-----------------

Harkes and Dellacamera wax nostalgic over the "Shot heard 'round the world" by Paul Caliguri.
"The Star-Spangled Banner" actually sounds really awesome played by a calypso band. The bandleader exhorts the crowd to sing along to TnT's anthem. A few of their players also comply.

Jozy and Stern John are interviewed about the importance of the match. Jozy wants to make a good impression, SJ wants to take his country to the World Cup.

Kickoff!
1 - I've switched to Galavision, by the way. Jozy goes down wincing - he's back up, though. Don't know if he was trying to gain a little ref sympathy or was hurt.
2 - Torres tries to reach Bease with an over-the-top pass, but it's too far.
3 - Torres gives up a FK right at the edge of the box. Torres tosses his hands up, but this is going to be a tough one for Guzano. He punches the ball out, but it rebounds back in and Orozco finally clears it.
4 - On the counter, Sacha tries to lay ball back for Adu, but it gets cut off for a corner. Adu sends it in, Edu trips going backward for it, falling awkwardly as the ball skips merrily by.
7 - Captain Bease tries to take the ball on the wing on his own - doesn't work there.
8 - Torres is lively in the midfield, though playing it a bit safe. The announcers note U.S. nerves as Califf gives up a corner.
Yorke tries to shoot, but he's well covered and can't hit the ball clear - wide.
9 - Adu with a cute flick, but it misses Altidore.
10 - Guzan stops a shot from distance - gives up a bit of a rebound, but no TnT players are there and he scrambles to catch it. The announcers give him guff for that.
12 - The U.S. gets the ball off a bad touch of a TnT defender. Adu then gets fouled. Sach sets up the FK. It doesn't clear the first man, but Hejduk kills the counter by putting the ball out.
14 - Nice to see Torres confident, asking for the ball back from Sacha. Adu send ball wide to Hejduk gets there and his cross is out for a corner. The corner comes back to Adu, the U.S. scrambles to shoot, while TnT defends desperately and finally holds the young Americans off. They looked lively there, though.
16 - Bease gets shoved down. Torres tries a nifty through-ball. It doesn't make it, but the announcers praise him anyway.
17 - The announcers now complain on Heath Pearce's behalf - he was shielding the ball out when it looked to them that he was clearly fouled, but TnT get the ball. And then they nearly score, but the shot is high over the goal.
19 - The U.S. is playing little-guy defense, running everywhere to poke the ball away, but not really retaining any possession.
20 - Bease with a great cross.
23 - The announcers have fun with Edu/Adu passes. Torres loses the ball in a bad spot but chases his man to slow down the attack.
25 - This time Bease loses the ball in midfield and it leads to a shot Guzan has to dive for. Altidore tries a pass to a charging Bease, but DaMarcus is called offside. The announcers replay the move and disagree with the call.
27 - The anthracite shirt makes B.Bradley look more severe than ever.
28 - Orozco with a nice play kills a TnT attack.
29 - Adu is ragged by the announcers, who say he's there to be "the Donovan of the team" and he's not doing it. They note that Adu has a move here and there, but the U.S. isn't controlling the midfield.
32 - Now the announcers speculate that Bradley will be pissed at his midfield at halftime.
33 - Edu's pass doesn't make it to Adu.
34 -Hislop is down and being taken off the field. No, Hislop is coming in, I got that backwards.
35 - TnT break on the counter and Adu pulls a player. The crowd and announcers want a card for that. Doesn't happen.
37 - Torres from distance - way over. Not as close as his attempt against Cuba.
38 - Guzan with a poor clear gives up a close throw. A handball goes uncalled, but the TnT cross is poor and out for a goalkick. Guzan escaped a bit there.
39 - The announcers don't like the Edu/Adu combo for anything but comedic rhyme. They want to see Danny Szetela come in.
40 - Adu way overshoots a breaking Torres. Ugh.
41 - Hejduk gets his cross off, but right to the goalkeeper.
42 - Sacha falls over twice. Half the US team has mud and dirt all over their white uniforms. They look pretty grubby. They're not playing much better, either. Hejduk slips after reaching an Adu pass.
43 - Ha, the announcers aren't sure that the halftime highlights will be - nothing stand out as very good so far this match.
45 - TnT mounts a charge on goal - Orozco clears, then Pearce.
45+ TnT is controlling the ball for the last shot. And here it comes, as the U.S. defense is split, but the shot is wide.
Halftime - well, so far, not one of the newbies is really making a case to move on the the main team for the matches that really matter.
48 - Midfield play looking better for the U.S. early on in the second half.
49 - Yorke to Edwards - could have been dangerous, but Edwards faffed it up.
53 - Corner for TnT. It's headed away, but comes right back and Yorke nearly gets a shot off, then Scotland - wide.
55 - I'm back to watching ESPN during the second half, but I imagine the Spanish announcers were yelling on that last play.
56 - The crowd is increasing in noise - especially the insistent drums.
59 - Edu works hard to get the ball back, but Sach gives it away twice as quickly there.
61 - GOAL! TnT has overcome the youngsters! Edwards leads it out and dinks a cross in. The shot from Latapy rebounds off the post and rebounds in off Guzan. 1-0 TnT leads.
63 - Harkes and JP tell us at least 40 times that Latapy is forty.
69 - Davies is in for Adu - why does poor Charlie always gets sent in during a loss?
70 - Can't believe Jozy got that corner, but now the U.S. has a chance - or did - foul in the box negates the play.
75 - GOAL! Ok, that's why they send Charlie in. Jozy is like a bull in a china shop, banging off bodies in the box to keep the play going and finally slots a ball through that Charlie puts away for his first senior team goal. 1-1
76 - Latapy is out to a big cheer.
77 - TnT attacking hard now.
78 - Penalty! Hislop is pulled in the box. Guzan sets up against Yorke.
79 -GOAL! Yorke stuttersteps, getting Guzan to dive and miss his low shot. 2-1 Trinidad and Tobago are up again. JP reminds Harkes that he played against Yorke and Latapy in his day. Harkes is probably thinking, "Heck, I could go down there right now and do better than the U.S. midfield at present."
81 - Bease FK. Bounces around and Hislop goes in hard against his CDCUSA teammate. Sach overthrows Hejduk.
84 - The U.S. nearly gets another goal - Sach with a great header creates a chance, but Jozy hashes up the put-away.
87 - A flurry near the TnT goal, but the U.S. can't get a shot through the forest of defenders.
88 - Rolfe is on for Pearce. Torres came out earlier, with Szetela finally in.
90 - Szetela with a great low cross, but no one from the U.S. is able to get on to it. too bad. Tasty-looking ball.
90 + Harkes waxes nostalgic about playing versus the TnT coach.
Final whistle - TnT wins.
I'm not sure what sort of impression Jozy left today - his hustle helped create the U.S. goal, but then he grabbed Hislop for the penalty. Basically, it was what one might expect from young players, scrappy play, but a lot of mistakes.