Sports

US gets 1-0 win in Trinidad & Tobago

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The U.S. gutted out a 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory in Trinidad & Tobago, pulling them to within a win of clinching a trip to South Africa.

Ricardo Clark’s long-range 62nd-minute goal and a clean sheet by North Brunswick native Tim Howard _ both former MetroStar players _ proved to be all the U.S. needed.

The U.S. temporarily vaulted atop the CONCACAF standings with 16 points. They have two more tilts, Oct. 10 at Honduras and Oct. 14 vs. Costa Rica at RFK Stadium in D.C. Winning one of the two will seal the deal. Matter of fact, a home tie in the finale vs. the Ticos should do the trick.

The top three automatically qualify for the World Cup, with the fourth going into a playoff against South America’s fifth-place team. With Argentina hovering around that spot, that could be a dangerous proposition. At the moment, with Mexico beating Honduras 1-0 and El Salvador upsetting Costa Rica 1-0 _ that helps the U.S. _ it looks like the U.S. is in if they handle their business.

It should be the U.S., El Tri (15) and Honduras (13) in the automatic spots, with the Ticos (12) stuck in the playoff vs. CONMEBOL. We all knew El Salvador and T & T were out of the money a while ago.

In the 62nd minute, Clint Dempsey played Landon Donovan out wide, and the Galaxy star cut back inside and laid the ball back to Clark. The Livorno-bound holding midfielder took one touch toward goal and ripped a 30-yard blast that ran away from keeper Clayton Ince. That’s all the U.S. needed.