New England Soccer Today

Scoreless in the Port of Spain

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

Four days after finding the back of the net six times, the United States was held scoreless by a defensively-sound Trinidad and Tobago, settling for a 0-0 draw during Tuesday’s World Cup Qualifier at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

How it happened: You can’t say the U.S. didn’t have its chances – albeit after Trinidad tested Tim Howard on a pair of early opportunities. Gyasi Zardes and Jermaine Jones both hit the post while the U.S. gained plenty of possession in the second half to put them in a position to break through. But Trinidad’s shape held firm, and when the final whistle sounded, the guests could only rue the missed opportunities after the break to get another set of three points in their final match of the calendar year.

Revs alert: Midfielder Jermaine Jones, who suffered a hamstring injury late in Friday’s qualifier against St. Vincent, was back in the XI on Tuesday. As the gritty midfielder is wont to do, he picked up a caution in the 49th minute, and was generally unhindered by the hamstring knock during his full 90 performance.

Local angle: University of Rhode Island alum Geoff Cameron was back in the lineup at center back. After going 64 minutes in Friday’s match in St. Louis, the Attleboro, Mass. native went the full 90 to help preserve the clean sheet.

Next up: The U.S. will resume its qualification efforts on Mar. 25 on the road at Guatemala before heading back to home soil for the return leg on Mar. 28. The sites for both matches has not yet been announced.

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