USA Win 1-0 Over Trinidad & Tobago At The Rent

Above, Sam's Army celebrate the US Men's national soccer team's 1-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago at Rentschler Field tonight. Brian McBride's 91st second goal was the second-fastest American goal in World Cup qualifying history, advancing the United States to the brink of its fifth straight appearance in soccer's showcase tournament.

Rentschler Field hosted it's highest ever crowd for soccer at 25,400. It was packed! We had a great time -- despite a referee with apparently limited vision -- more to come, and a report from Bill later.

Game ReportBy Bill Strong

All the signs were there before the game. A stray dog ran through the parking lot. Looked to me like a seeing eye dog...but we didn't really pay it any mind.

Yes, two of the Three Blind Mice had the night off when the US Men's National Soccer Team faced off with Trinidad & Tobago in East Hartford on August 17. The US won 1-0 on a Brian McBride goal in the second minute. Many in the crowd of over 25,000 thought that the McBride goal would be just the beginning of things to come for the US squad, but the scoresheet would remain the same until the end of the game thanks to referee Marco Antonio Rodriguez of Mexico.

The good news is that the US team has all but assured a trip to Germany in 2006 for the World Cup. That fact can't be denied. The U.S. can cement a berth in the World Cup with a win against rival Mexico at Columbus Crew Stadium and either a Trinidad or Panama win or draw Sept. 3. The bad news is that one man took it into his own hands to try and affect the outcome of the game.

This is not to disparage the T&T side. The Soca Warriors played a rugged and disciplined game but were just outclassed by the talent of the Americans. Bobby Convey, who plays for Reding FC in England, was particularly dangerous all night with his play on the flanks. In the 88th minute, however, after a yellow card was issued after what seemed to be a fairly innocuous tackle, Convey was immediately red carded by the Mexican referee and (perhaps not so coincidentally) will miss the match on Septemner 3 in Columbus vs. Mexico.

Other players making impressions in East Hartford were Landon Donovan, who was tireless in the midfield and set up many chances for his teammates, T&T defender Avery John, and T&T goalkeeper Kelvin Jack, the beneficiary of many US drives straight on to his line.

The real story has to be the derision of the crowd toward referee Rodriguez. The US seemed to lose possession on every stop, as he would award the ball to Trinidad & Tobago seemingly after every foul. A missed handball by T&T in their defensive half really brought out the ire in the crowd. With recent scandals in Europe regarding FIFA referees, one would think that all of the men in yellow would be on notice, but to the ESPN viewers, announcers, and 25,000 fans in Rentchler Field, Rodriguez' performance was beyond defense.

Overall, a great experince in the building and the US Soccer Foundation must be pleased with the turnout. Hopefully, Connecticut will be in line to host many world class soccer events like this in the future.