In his postgame comments on Saturday, U.S. coach Bob Bradley spoke of how pleased he was with the way his team fought back from falling a goal behind to El Salvador, adding that at "this point in qualifying ... it's not about how it looks. One team gets three points at the end of the game. And it better be you."

Good points though they have been, the overriding feeling I have had since the final whistle blew at Rio Tinto Stadium is that this is another game after which many questions remain. Against a nation ranked 74 places below them, the Americans emerged with a narrow victory that owed much to individual moments of ability rather than a cohesive, consistent performance.

When they were needed, Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore came up big in front of goal, with Landon Donovan playing a fine hand in support. Meanwhile, Tim Howard made a big stop in the closing minutes. There were other good moments, of course, but for almost every one, there was a panicky clearance or a tame surrender of possession.

In Port of Spain on Wednesday, Bradley's men face a Trinidad & Tobago side for which nothing less than victory will do if it is to retain hopes of a spot in South Africa. A desperate team is a dangerous team, and the U.S. must be on its guard if it is to avoid another nerve-racking night. For this to happen there are, in my opinion, three main areas in which things must improve:

1. Onyewu's return. The mainstay of the American back line, Onyewu's absence was felt throughout Saturday's match. His return is important, not only because he is the best-equipped of the defenders at Bradley's disposal to deal with the physical threat posed by Kenwyne Jones, but also because his presence should allow Carlos Bocanegra to return to left back in place of Jonathan Bornstein, whose offensive qualities are not yet sufficient to offset the issues he has closer to his own goal.

That Onyewu's last competitive game was on Aug. 12 in Mexico -- he has yet to make his Serie A debut for AC Milan -- is a slight concern, but he remains an automatic pick when available and will play in tandem with Jay DeMerit if the Watford man can recover from a groin injury.

2. Preaching possession. The U.S. game plan on Saturday was the right one. An emphasis on getting forward at speed and in numbers was the best way to get at an El Salvador side yet to shut an opponent out in this round of qualifying. The issue was that it was not well-executed, with too many attacks frittering out due to mistakes that saw possession relinquished and led to counterattacks that pressurized the American back line. As Clint Dempsey said after the game, "We pushed so much forward to put the game away we left ourselves a little bit exposed."

More care must be taken with the ball throughout the team, and there will be a particular onus on those in central midfield to be more cautious when they attack to ensure that, if an offensive does break down, there is adequate cover behind them. Given this, it would be no surprise to see Ricardo Clark's more defensive outlook preferred to Benny Feilhaber.

3. Changes up front?

Meanwhile, don't be surprised to see Brian Ching in the lineup on Wednesday. Charlie Davies' calf problem may make Bradley's selection poser simpler, but even if the Sochaux striker is passed fit, I have a feeling that his may be a role off the bench against the Soca Warriors, as it was (to goal-scoring effect) last October.

Ching's ability to hold the ball up and win free kicks is not underestimated by his coach, especially since, in recent times, most U.S. goals have come from set pieces and crossed balls. Though Ching will continue to have his critics, he remains a viable option -- in the same way that Emile Heskey is seen as a key player for England -- especially on the road where drawing the sting from the home team and its fans is so important.

A thing that made me go hmmm

On Wednesday, in order to move closer to a place in South Africa, Bradley's side will have to do something that only two other CONCACAF nations have managed through seven rounds of qualifying: win a game on the road.

To date, Honduras, the U.S. and Mexico have 100 percent winning home records while El Salvador also remains unbeaten in its own backyard. By winning in Costa Rica on Saturday, Mexico joined the Ticos, who won in Port of Spain in June, as the only nation to win an away game. Who said CONCACAF qualifying was easy?

Another thing that made me go hmmm

New England and Kansas City really don't like each other, do they? In the last four games between the two sides, five red cards have been shown, and three of those have been for serious foul play.

It is probably no coincidence that the breaches of discipline have come about following a contentious match last October in which Revolution captain Steve Ralston suffered a broken leg in a challenge with Herculez Gomez. Two weeks later, then-Revolution winger Khano Smith saw red for a hideous two-footed lunge at the Kansas City man.

This season, Emmanuel Osei, Lance Watson and Shalrie Joseph have all been sent for early baths by referees who, no doubt mindful of past issues between the two teams, have gone to their pockets in attempts to alleviate future issues. It's fair to say that, to date, it hasn't really worked...

Well-played, young man

While he remains very much unproven at the international level, Conor Casey continues to put up numbers in MLS that will see him receive some serious consideration for MVP honors if Colorado makes the playoffs.

Having been released from the national team squad following the removal of his wisdom teeth, things did not begin too well for Casey on Sunday against his former club when his first-half penalty rattled the Toronto crossbar. But things soon improved when, seven minutes after halftime, he headed Colorado into the lead.

Omar Cummings collected his 11th assist of the season on the goal. Cummings is the other member of arguably the most in-form strike partnership in the league. While Casey leads MLS in scoring with 12 goals, Cummings is the only player with double digits in assists.