by Chris Asbrock

In what was a crucial stretch for the United States in their quest to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The USMNT faced a must win match against the hex bottom feeders, Trinidad & Tobago. While it wasn’t the finest performance in the first half for the Americans, the second 45 proved to be the Christian Pulisic half. Pulisic showed the world why he is one of the best the United States has to offer.

Pulisic scored two goals that was all the United States needed, bagging a crucial three points at home, knocking off T&T by a score of 2-0. It wasn’t the cleanest of games by the United States but the performance by Pulisic and Darlington Nagbe was something beautiful, as these two will be a big part of the United States 2018 World Cup campaign. This was a dangerous game for the United States, with the trip to Mexico just a few days later, so overlooking Trinidad could have been fatal to their World Cup hopes. The Americans were able to dodge a few bullets throughout the game and were lucky to come away with a clean sheet.

The highlights of the USA-T&T match are below:

The win over T&T was massive for the United States, as they were to head south to the fortress, the Estadio Azteca. In their history, the US has only managed to escape the Azteca with only two points. With their backs against the wall, the United States came out and stunned the crowd of 87,000 plus, with a stunning goal by the captain, Michael Bradley. Bradley intercepted a pass from Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and was able to loft a beautiful shot over the head of Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa from over 30 yards out.

The goal left the stadium stunned and quieted the rabid Mexican fans. They were soon lifted off their seats with a gorgeous counter attack goal, scored by Carlos Vela, that left the American defense in shambles and caused the Azteca to explode with noise.

The remainder of the game was full of missed chances by both teams which caused anxious moments for both countries. The game finished in a 1-1 draw, which was solid for both teams, both could feel like they could have come away with the full three points. The United States can now focus on their CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign, while Mexico heads to Russia to play in the FIFA Confederations Cup this upcoming weekend.

The highlights of the USA-Mexico match are below:

 
Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for FTI Sports and can be followed on Twitter  and