Jozy Altidore made US history. So did Christian Pulisic.
Altidore scored twice in a three-minute span of the second half, Sacha Kljestan and Paul Arriola had goals and the United States beat Trinidad and Tobago 4-0 on Tuesday night to reach the final round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.
The Americans (4-1-1) finished atop Group C of the semifinal round in the North and Central American and Caribbean region and open the hexagonal on November 11 against Mexico. That match almost certainly will be in Columbus, Ohio, where the US has won four straight qualifiers over El Tri by 2-0 scores.
“No doubt in my mind,” coach Jurgen Klinsmann said of the site.
Altidore, who missed most of the 2014 World Cup and all of this year’s Copa America because of hamstring injuries, hopes to remain on the field.
“I’m just trying to stay healthy, man,” he said. “I know I have a lot to give if I’m healthy. But that’s the key. For me, it’s just trying to stay on the field, and I know if I do that, I can help the team.”