USMNT vs. Trinidad and Tobago: Starting XI & Lineup Notes

LINEUP NOTES
USMNT vs. Trinidad and Tobago
2023-24 Concacaf Nations League Quarterfinal, Leg 2
Nov. 20, 2023
Hasely Crawford Stadium; Port of Spain, Trinidad
Pre-Game Coverage: 6:30 p.m. ET on TNT, Universo, MAX, Peacock
Kickoff:  7 p.m. ET on TNT, Universo, MAX, Peacock, Futbol de Primera Radio
Social Media: @USMNT on X and Instagram; U.S. Soccer on Facebook, The U.S. Soccer App

Tonight’s USMNT Starting XI at Trinidad and Tobago: 1-Matt Turner, 2-Sergiño Dest, 3-Cameron Carter-Vickers, 5-Antonee Robinson, 6-Yunus Musah, 7-Gio Reyna, 9-Ricardo Pepi, 11-Brenden Aaronson, 13-Tim Ream (Capt.), 14-Luca de la Torre, 20-Folarin Balogun

Substitutes: 18-Ethan Horvath, 21-Gaga Slonina, 4-Chris Richards, 10-Alex Zendejas, 12-Miles Robinson, 15-Paxten Aaronson, 16-Kevin Paredes, 17-Malik Tillman, 19-Joe Scally, 22-Lennard Maloney, 23-Kristoffer Lund

GAME NOTES | FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

• USMNT Starting XI Cap Numbers (including this match): Tim Ream (55), Antonee Robinson (39), Brenden Aaronson (38), Matt Turner (37), Yunus Musah (33), Sergiño Dest (32), Gio Reyna (24), Ricardo Pepi (22), Luca de la Torre (20), Cameron Carter-Vickers (16), Folarin Balogun (8).

• USMNT Starting XI Cap Numbers in Official Competition (including this match): Matt Turner (29), Tim Ream (28), Antonee Robinson (25), Brenden Aaronson (24), Yunus Musah (20), Sergiño Dest (17), Ricardo Pepi (16), Gio Reyna (14), Luca de la Torre (11), Cameron Carter-Vickers (5), Folarin Balogun (4).

• Tonight’s Starting XI has an average age of 24 years, 156 days. The lineup also averages 29 caps and 17 in official competition.

• Gregg Berhalter makes three changes to the lineup from Thursday’s first leg against the Soca Warriors, inserting midfielder Luca de la Torre and forwards Brenden Aaronson and Ricardo Pepi.

• Twenty-year-old midfielder Yunus Musah earns his 33^rd cap, surpassing Jozy Altidore, Landon Donovan and Christian Pulisic for the most appearances by a USMNT player before their 21^st birthday. Musah (2,445 minutes) would also surpass Donovan (2,507 minutes) for most minutes played before a 21^st birthday if he features for 63 minutes tonight. Musah turns 21 on Nov. 29.

• After scoring the game-winner on Thursday, striker Ricardo Pepi makes his second start of the year and first since recording a brace in the 7-1 win at Grenada on March 27 in the 2022-23 CNL Group Stage. Despite mainly coming off the bench in 2023, Pepi ranks second on the team in goals with seven in just 299 minutes of play, good enough for a 2.11 Goals / 90 minute rate this year.

• Left back Antonee Robinson earned Bud Light Man of the Match honors in Thursday’s game, assisting on Pepi’s goal in the 82^nd minute before smashing home one of his own in the 86^th. It was the first time Robinson recorded two goal contributions in an international match.

• Pepi, Musah and forward Brenden Aaronson each earn their 10^th appearances of 2023 tonight. The trio joins Matt Turner as the only four players to reach double-digit appearances this year. Aaronson hits double digits for the third-straight year, Musah does it for the second consecutive year, while Pepi hits the mark for the first time.

• Aaronson is the 27^th player to record double-digit appearances in three consecutive years, and the eighth to do it while playing for clubs in Europe the entire time. The others: Michael Bradley (2007-2011; Heerenveen, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Aston Villa, Chievo Verona), Jermaine Jones (2011-2014; Schalke, Blackburn Rovers, Besiktas),Clint Dempsey (2007-2009; Fulham), Fabian Johnson (2014-2016; Hoffenheim, Borussia Mönchengladbach), Oguchi Onyewu (2007-2009; Standard Liege, Newcastle United, AC Milan), Tim Howard (2011-2013; Everton), Tony Sanneh (2000-2002; Hertha Berlin, Nürnberg).

• Matt Turner earns his team-leading 13^th cap of 2023, equaling his career high for appearances in a calendar year originally set in 2021. With an 8-1-3 record this year, should Turner help the team win tonight’s match he would become the first USMNT goalkeeper to record nine or more wins in more than one calendar year. The goalkeeper went 10-1-2 in 2021.

• With his next shutout, Turner (23 shutouts in 36 caps) will tie Brad Friedel (24 shutouts in 82 caps) for fourth all-time among USMNT goalkeepers.

• Making his first international appearance away from the USA, Folarin Balogun starts his eighth consecutive match. The striker has three goals and two assist in his seven previous appearances.

• Gio Reyna has scored in back-to-back matches. The 21-year-old tallied a brace in the 4-0 win against Ghana on Oct. 17 and scored the third goal in Thursday’s 3-0 win against Trinidad and Tobago.

• Veteran Tim Ream becomes the 20^th player in team history to captain the USMNT in 10 matches. The team is 7-1-1 when Ream wears the captain’s armband.

• Set to play back-to-back matches for the first time since last year’s World Cup, Ream is the only player on the squad to have played away in Trinidad and Tobago, going the full 90 minutes in the 0-0 draw on Nov. 17, 2015 in semifinal round qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

• The backline of Ream, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson starts together for the third time, and second consecutive match.

• Luca de la Torre earns his 20^th cap, fulfilling the eligibility criteria for the National Soccer Hall of Fame after he retires from professional soccer.

• Should substitute Paxten Aaronson get on the field at the same time as his brother Brenden, the Aaronsons would become the eighth set of brothers to play together for the U.S. Men’s National Team. The Aaronsons became the ninth pair of brothers to earn a USMNT cap upon Paxten’s debut on Jan. 28 against Colombia.

• The USMNT is 22-3-4 in 29 previous matches against Trinidad and Tobago. The team has won the last four meetings, outscoring the Soca Warriors 22-0.

• Five substitutions are allowed in three different moments. Halftime does not count as a substitution moment.

• Walter López of Guatemala is the referee for tonight’s match. The USMNT is 4-2-1 in seven matches previously officiated by López:
  
  • 4-0 win vs. Grenada (Gold Cup) – July 4, 2009
  • 2-0 win vs. Canada (Gold Cup) – June 7, 2011
  • 0-1 loss vs. Costa Rica (Friendly) – Oct. 13, 2015
  • 1-2 loss vs. Mexico (WCQ) – Nov. 11, 2016
  • 6-0 win vs. Honduras (WCQ) – March 24, 2017
  • 2-1 win vs. Jamaica (Gold Cup) – July 26, 2017
  • 0-0 draw vs. Panama (Gold Cup) – July 12, 2023