GOAL takes a look back at one of the darkest days in American soccer history and what became of those that were there for it.
It's been six years since that day, that infamous day. Players, coaches, executives, everyone… many have come and gone. Still, all these years later, despite all the good that's happened, that day still matters to those who follow the U.S. men's national team.
Trinidad & Tobago still means something. The U.S. has gone on to bigger and better things, of course, having buried the 2018 World Cup demons with their run to the 2022 knockout stages. A group of rising stars has taken control of the team, ushering the U.S. into a new era, one brighter than any that preceded it.
Still, there's still that little hint of something. As the USMNT prepares to face T&T this week with a spot in the 2024 Copa America on the line, it's hard not to think about 2018. The questions are inevitable: all these years later, do the current USMNT players feel that something?
"It's largely a different group that was part of that game," midfielder Cristian Roldan said ahead of a match against T&T at the Gold Cup this summer. "We've done a pretty good job to move past that. It's a new group and we have new goals, new objectives. I don't think it plays too much of a role in how we prepare for the game."
Roldan is right. Of the USMNT players to play in Couva that fateful night, only three went to the World Cup in 2022. It really has been a changing of the guard.
But what happened to the old guard after Couva? GOAL takes a look back at the players that were there on that night and where they all ended up.
Getty ImagesGK: Tim Howard
The legendary goalkeeper had a rough night in Couva, as he was caught out by Alvin Jones' miracle blast to make the score 2-0.
A member of the Colorado Rapids at the time, he played through the 2019 MLS season before temporarily retiring, only to return for a brief spell with Memphis 901, where he also served as sporting director and minority owner.
Howard is now an analyst for NBC's Premier League coverage.
AdvertisementLB: Jorge Villafana
A regular for the U.S. through 2017 and 2018, Villafana amassed 21 caps in those two years.
He hasn't been called up since 2018, though, having since played for the Portland Timbers and LA Galaxy in MLS.
He last appeared in a match back in September 2021, with a season-ending injury derailing his 2022 campaign before he departed the Galaxy later that year.
Getty ImagesCB: Omar Gonzalez
The ex-LA Galaxy defender was a steady presence for the USMNT for years, featuring in four Gold Cups and a World Cup, but his own goal cost the U.S. in Couva.
Then playing his trade for Pachuca, he remained with the Mexican side until 2019, when he returned to MLS with Toronto FC. In 2022, he reunited with Bruce Arena with the New England Revolution, where he went on to play 15 matches in 2023.
CB: Matt Besler
Another World Cup veteran, Besler earned 47 caps after debuting in 2013. The last of those caps, unfortunately, came in Couva.
Still, Besler remained a regular for Sporting KC in the years after, completing a decade-long stay with the club before joining Austin FC for their inaugural season in 2021. He retired after that final hurrah.