USMNT vs Trinidad and Tobago lineups, starting 11 for CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final

Brad Cox

USMNT vs Trinidad and Tobago lineups, starting 11 for CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final image

The US men's national team are aiming for a third straight CONCACAF Nations League title, starting with a quarterfinal clash against Trinidad and Tobago.

After a 2-0 victory over Canada secured their most recent title, the United States earned automatic qualification to this stage. Despite a 5-3 loss to Curacao, Trinidad and Tobago secured the second spot in Group A thus making it to this round. 

Led by coach Gregg Berhalter, the USA are not just aiming for another Nations League title, but also an automatic place in the 2024 Copa America.

Trinidad and Tobago, led by Dennis Lawrence, are making their first appearance beyond the group stages since the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, having won their first three matches by a slim one-goal margin.

The quarterfinal first leg takes place in Austin, Texas with a start time of 9 p.m. ET. The Sporting News details the team news for the game here.

MORE: What is the CONCACAF Nations League?

USMNT squad for CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal 

The 24-man USMNT squad for the pair of matches against Trinidad & Tobago in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals were announced on November 9.

Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah are the two big absentees from the squad, with the Serie A stars both suffering hamstring injuries.

Pos Name Club Caps Goals
GK Ethan Horvath Nottingham Forest (ENG) 9 0
GK Gaga Slonina KAS Eupen (BEL) 1 0
GK Matt Turner Nottingham Forest (ENG) 35 0
DEF Cameron Carter-Vickers Celtic (SCO) 14 0
DEF Sergino Dest PSV (NED) 30 2
DEF Kristoffer Lund Palermo (ITA) 3 0
DEF Tim Ream Fulham (ENG) 53 1
DEF Chris Richards Crystal Palace (ENG) 14 1
DEF Antonee Robinson Fulham (ENG) 37 2
DEF Miles Robinson Atlanta United (USA) 28 3
DEF Joe Scally Borussia Monchengladbach (GER) 7 0
MID Paxten Aaronson Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) 1 0
MID Johnny Cardoso Internacional (BRA) 9 0
MID Luca de la Torre Celga Vigo (ESP) 19 0
MID Lennard Maloney Heidenheim (GER) 1 0
MID Weston McKennie Juventus (ITA) 48 11
MID Yunus Musah AC Milan (ITA) 31 0
MID Giovanni Reyna Borussia Dortmund (GER) 22 6
MID Malik Tillman PSV (NED) 6 0
FWD Brenden Aaronson Union Berlin (GER) 36 8
FWD Folarin Balogun AS Monaco (FRA) 6 3
FWD Kevin Paredes VfL Wolfsburg (GER) 2 0
FWD Ricardo Pepi PSV (NED) 20 9
FWD Alejandro Zendejas Club America (MEX) 7 1

USMNT starting lineup vs Trinidad and Tobago

Even with the absence of key players such as Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah due to hamstring injuries, the USA still possesses a strong team, featuring notable players like Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna and promising talents such as Yunus Musah and Folarin Balogun.

Berhalter is a coach who is unlikely to sway from his usual 4-3-3 formation unless circumstances change drastically.

It remains to be seen whether Reyna or Malik Tillman are deployed on the wing, while the other ends up as the main attacking midfielder.

USA starting lineup (4-3-3): Turner (GK) — Dest, Carter-Vickers, Ream, A. Robinson — McKennie, Musah, Tillman — Reyna, Balogun, Paredes.

2023/24 CONCACAF Nations League schedule

Quarterfinals

Quarterfinal matchups are contested by four seeded teams, who earned a bye to this round, against four qualifiers from the group stage.

In the table below, the home team's score is listed first in each match, with seeded teams hosting first leg and unseeded teams hosting second leg.

Match 1st Leg date/result 2nd leg date/result
#2 USA vs. Trinidad and Tobago Nov. 16, 2023
9 p.m. ET
Nov. 20, 2023
7 p.m. ET
#4 Costa Rica vs. Panama Nov. 16, 2023
10 p.m. ET
Nov. 20, 2023
9 p.m. ET
#3 Canada vs. Jamaica Nov. 17, 2023
7 p.m. ET
Nov. 21, 2023
7:30 p.m. ET
#1 Mexico vs. Honduras Nov. 17, 2023
9 p.m. ET
Nov. 21, 2023
9:30 p.m. ET

Semifinals

To determine semifinal matchups, quarterfinal winners are re-seeded, placed in a table based on their results across two legs in the quarterfinals.

Date Time Matchup
Mar. 21, 2024 TBD #1 QF winner vs. #4 QF winner
Mar. 21, 2024 TBD #2 QF winner vs. #3 QF winner

Third Place

Date Time Matchup
Mar. 24, 2024 TBD SF loser vs. SF loser

Final

Date Time Matchup
Mar. 24, 2024 TBD SF winner vs. SF winner

Brad Cox

Brad Cox Photo

Brad is a content producer for The Sporting News and has previously worked for the likes of Squawka and The Athletic. His career highlight to date is reporting from the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final in Paris.