Call it a soft opening—a very soft opening. The U.S. men's national team on Sunday night kicked off what promises to be a busy and pivotal 2021 with an easy assignment and an emphatic victory, a 7-0 thumping of a makeshift Trinidad & Tobago side that barely belonged on the pitch.
Fielding a mix of senior players and Olympic hopefuls, USA coach Gregg Berhalter saw his team establish its obvious superiority mere seconds after the opening whistle. Following three weeks of going up against each other during January camp training in Florida, the Americans clearly had an appetite to beat up on an unfamiliar opponent.