PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago — After 23 months and 15 games, a berth in World Cup 2018 is there for the taking by the U.S. men’s national team on Tuesday night. The U.S. effectively needs only a win or a tie against last-place Trinidad and Tobago to punch a ticket for Russia. But the soccer gods make sure that little comes easy in CONCACAF, and this time that means a playing surface waterlogged by the recent downpours of the Caribbean rainy season.
The Trinis moved Tuesday’s game (as they’re allowed to) from the national stadium to Ato Boldon Stadium, a smaller structure an hour south of the capital, due to what are said to be electrical problems in the usual venue.