USWNT gears up for World Cup run with bout vs. Trinidad and Tobago
KANSAS CITY, Mo. --
The business of finally winning a third Women's World Cup doesn't begin in Canada on June 6 of next year, when the tournament opens. It starts here, now, as the United States women's national team embarks on qualifying in the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship, where they'll have to place in the top-3 in order to earn a World Cup berth - or come fourth and play Ecuador in a home-and-away playoff for the final spot in November. It kicks off with Wednesday's contest with Trinidad and Tobago (live, FOX Sports 2, 8 p.m. ET).
This whole qualifying exercise is considered something of a formality for the swaggering Americans, as the regional behemoths are 53-1-1 all-time against the seven other teams in this tournament. In those 55 games, their cumulative scoring record stands at 312-13, for an average of 5.67 goals scored per game - numbers that beggar belief. In their group stage games, and probably the ensuing knockout matches too, their opponents will essentially be relegated to a series of Davids with the USA perpetually cast in the role of Goliath.
As such, the American eyes are cast to the horizon, worrying more about how they come together in the run-up to Canada. Or about winning jobs and fitting into their new system and getting through five games in just 12 days. "We're ready for these games to start and see how we're evolving with this new formation," said captain Christie Rampone.
"Every game is that opportunity for us to get better," added striker Abby Wambach.
To Trinidad and Tobago, however, this game is as big as it comes. That they are here at all is an accomplishment hard-won at the inaugural Women's Caribbean Cup in August, wherein they took first place. When they arrived stateside last week, head coach Randy Waldrum took to Twitter to plead for donations to help feed and transport his team, which had arrived with just $500 in funds.
The Trinidadian federation had still been in the process of securing and transferring money from the national ministry of sport and it hadn't come through in time. The players, many of whom are of modest means and quit jobs even though they have never made a penny from soccer, were left hanging out to dry. Waldrum's tweets went viral and an online campaign raised about $14,000 within a few days. "I did what any other coach would have done for their team," he told FOXSoccer.com in his heavy Texan drawl. "We just don't have the resources that the other countries have."
Most of the money came from donors with no affiliation to Trinidad or its soccer team. FC Dallas let the team use its practice facility for free and put on a women's exhibition game to raise money. The Hunt family, which owns the MLS club, took care of meals. The American Outlaws supporters group provided water and sports drinks for practices. US Soccer and the NWSL both donated money. The Canadian federation provided badly-needed long-sleeve undershirts to play in the cold weather. Haiti, a group opponent dealing with its own financial hardships, sent over its last $1,300.
"It really restores some kind of faith in humanity," said Waldrum of the community fostered among regional rivals.
As Waldrum explains it, years of rampant mismanagement by a previous Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation regime - headed up by disgraced former CONCACAF and FIFA executive Jack Warner - left the new and more capable leaders heavily in debt. That makes the job he took in July difficult. "This experience has had so many ups and downs, so many things of things that haven't been done properly," he said.
Whereas the USA plays and practices year-round, Trinidad and Tobago get just a week together before major tournaments. Their practice fields are poor, basics like drinking water are often missing, and equipment is lacking.
The federation eventually secured $40,000 for the women's team and was able to thank Haiti for its gesture, before returning the money. Trinidad can now focus on a tournament that presents it with an immense opportunity.
With the Women's World Cup expanded to 24 teams and Canada qualified automatically, eight teams remain in the qualifying process with three spots left. The USA will surely take one, and Martinique isn't actually eligible to qualify, as it's still a part of France. That leaves two spots for six countries, with a third team reaching a playoff. "If you get out of your group, you've got two shots at it [winning either the semifinal or the third-place game] and if you don't win there you've got two shots at Ecuador [in the playoff] home and away," said Waldrum. "I think there's a real, real good chance we can qualify."
But first there is the game against the USA, and Waldrum concedes that there is an element of damage control to his game plan. Four major contributors to his team are dealing with injuries. And he has to be sensitive to the goal difference that could be crucial if Trinidad, Haiti and Guatemala split points in Group A, since only one of them can advance to the semifinals behind the USA. "I think we would be sacrificing too much if we go out and try to play them the way we play all the other games, when we attack," he said. "You have to be smart about that. We'll have to sit a little more defensively and play off the counter."
"That's just the nature of the difference between the two teams," Waldrum concluded. "A team that's fully loaded in resources and talent and can work year-round versus a team that has very few resources and is together for a week before they play."
