COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Shot after shot from the United States homed in on the Trinidad and Tobago net. One clipped the crossbar. Some sailed just wide or high. Others — several others — struck the goalkeeper.
In the first half of a World Cup qualifying match the Americans admitted that they needed to win, they did what they had hoped to do, by controlling possession and generating consistent opportunities, except for a very important detail: None of their attempts actually crossed the threshold.
Relief came, twice, from the right foot of Christian Pulisic, whose two second-half goals in a 2-0 victory Thursday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park rescued the Americans from calamity.