Matt Turner Sergino Dest USMNT red card vs TrinidadGetty Images

USMNT player ratings vs Trinidad & Tobago: Sergino Dest's moment of madness almost costs his country a Copa America spot as Matt Turner struggles during defeat

For a few minutes there, you couldn't help but wonder. It couldn't happen again, could it? On this away trip, with these stakes... it all felt like deja vu for the U.S. men's national team in their first visit to Trinidad & Tobago since THAT World Cup qualifier.

But, with a Copa America spot on the line, the U.S. survived one of the most boneheaded self-inflicted wounds in recent memory. Sergino Dest's baffling red card threatened the USMNT's Copa America place, but, in the end, it was never really in doubt.

After a 3-0 first leg win, the U.S. fell 2-1 in the second leg in Trinidad & Tobago. With that away goal, a first half header from Antonee Robinson, T&T would have needed five to complete the comeback. They never really got close, despite Dest's red card, a goal shortly after and a howler from the usually-reliable Matt Turner.

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By the end, the U.S. could exhale. They're headed to the Copa America, but it feels like this game will still have lasting ramifications for some members of the team on the road to that major tournament.

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