U.S., Johnson Crash Soca Warriors' Party

United States 2, Trinidad and Tobago 1

United States forward Eddie Johnson battles Trinidad and Tobago's defender Marlon Rojas on Wednesday. Johnson scored U.S.'s first goal. (Andres Leighton - AP)

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Feb. 9 -- Eddie Johnson and the U.S. national soccer team made sure Carnival celebrations here wouldn't extend beyond their scheduled timeframe.

Playing on an island still woozy from two days of parades, concerts and round-the-clock folly, the Americans started the final round of 2006 World Cup qualifying Wednesday by silencing Trinidad and Tobago and its supporters with a 2-1 victory at the scorching-hot Queen's Park Oval.

Johnson, 20, continued his remarkable start in a U.S. uniform with his sixth goal in four games -- a 12-yard header in the 30th minute -- and veteran Eddie Lewis extended the lead early in the second half with a long-distance shot. The Soca Warriors, badly outplayed most of the day, came to life in the closing minutes and closed within a goal on Angus Eve's angled shot off goalkeeper Kasey Keller. But a few scary moments later, the gassed Americans wandered away with a road win.

"It's massive. It's so big, especially with all the drama going on around the team," Keller said, referring to the labor dispute between the players' union and the U.S. Soccer Federation that left only two weeks to prepare for this match. "The guys came together and got a great victory."

Nine games remain on the U.S. schedule, but with arch rival Mexico awaiting next month, it was imperative that the Americans opened with a victory. They extended their unbeaten streak against opponents from North and Central America and the Caribbean to 30 games (23-0-7) since September 2001, and improved to 11-1-3 against the Soca Warriors, who are 50 spots behind them in the world rankings.

"There were a bunch of reasons why we couldn't be successful today," Coach Bruce Arena said. "We never agreed with that. The way our team pulled together over the last couple of weeks to be ready to play this game under difficult conditions . . . to pull that off is fantastic."

Carnival had ended and most locals headed to the beach for the traditional Ash Wednesday "cool down" after several days of street madness, but you wouldn't have known it by the festivities unfolding along the south gates on Tragarete Road. Twenty-four hours earlier, partygoers with feather headdresses and scant costumes had paraded past the site. On this day, however, soccer provided the backdrop for nationalistic expression as fans dressed in the country's colors (red and black) mingled for hours before kickoff.

Entertainment was provided by Maximus Dan and Woodbrook Playboyz, among others, as the deafening sounds of soca music (calypso with a rapid beat) pulsated inside the grounds and on the narrow streets skirting the 109-year-old downtown stadium.

The U.S. team's celebrity super-fan, actor-comedian Drew Carey, arrived at the team hotel unannounced Monday and was quickly embraced by the American delegation and given seats in their private box.

The middle of the field was scarred by old cricket markings, and the massive scoreboard had slots for the names of batsmen and fielders. But instead of Brian Lara, a legendary cricket player from this country, the field welcomed former Manchester United star Dwight Yorke and English league veteran goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, a Howard University graduate.

Arena's starting lineup didn't include any surprises -- eight Europe-based players, including Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley, complemented by Johnson, Eddie Pope and Pablo Mastroeni from MLS.

The Americans began to find a rhythm midway through the first half, drawing several corner kicks. Hislop passed his first test in the 20th minute, soaring to tip Mastroeni's long volley over the crossbar. The Soca Warriors, meantime, had trouble staying onside and Yorke's header was the only threat in the early moments.

The U.S. breakthrough came in the 30th minute when right back Steve Cherundolo served a long ball into the box to the unmarked Johnson, who powered a header into the near side of the net as Hislop watched helplessly. Johnson, a Florida native who skipped college to sign with MLS and play for Dallas, became the first player in U.S. history to score in his first four appearances. He is already tied for third on the all-time qualifying scoring list -- just three goals behind career leader Earnie Stewart.

"It was one of those situations where I put myself in the right position," Johnson said. "It was a good ball from Steve and I just got on the end of it. . . . I think I caught the keeper off guard."

Johnson got free early in the second half and crossed to Donovan, whose one-timer was blocked by Hislop. A moment later, Keller made a sprawling stop on Leslie Fitzpatrick, who had broken in alone. The Americans struck back right away, Johnson touching it to Donovan, who found Lewis for a one-timed, left-footed rocket from 23 yards that streaked into the right corner for his seventh international goal.

Commenting on his early success, Johnson said: "It's only going to get harder. I'm not going to score a goal in every game. It's about taking advantage of the chances I'm going to get."

U.S. Notes: All five game-time scratches were MLS players: D.C. United midfielder Ben Olsen, Colorado goalie Joe Cannon, Kansas City defender Jimmy Conrad, Salt Lake City midfielder Clint Mathis and San Jose forward Brian Ching.