BY RIDGE MAHONEY in Foxboro, Mass. At a stadium in which it has never lost the U.S. national team tonight faces a foe that cannot afford to lose. The group leader with 10 points from three wins and a tie, the United States plays bottom feeder Trinidad & Tobago (1 point) at Foxboro Stadium this evening (live on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. ET; tape delayed on Telemundo at 11:30 p.m. ET, PT, CT; 10:30 p.m. MT). Coach Bruce Arena could make as many as four changes to the squad that drew 0-0 with Jamaica in Kingston on Saturday. Brad Friedel for Kasey Keller in goal and Eddie Pope for Carlos Llamosa at defender are two of the expected changes. Llamosa has less pace than Pope and his 31-year-old legs might be a bit heavy after going 90 minutes in more than 90-degree heat in Kingston on Saturday. Arena also wants better play from his forwards, and so Jovan Kirovski could be paired with Joe-Max Moore up top, with Brian McBride and Ante Razov being held in reserve. “I would say we are far from being clear of anyone in this group,” said Arena. “Our opponent is going to be a handful. They absolutely have their backs against the wall … they are a bit of a wounded animal right now, and they tend to be dangerous.” The top three teams in the six-team CONCACAF pool qualify. Another defeat would all but eliminate the Caribbean team while a U.S. victory would keep it atop the group and purring smoothly toward a spot in the 2002 World Cup. And therein lies the danger. No one can predict if the Trinidad & Tobago players will take the field dispirited and dejected, as they appeared last Saturday while losing 4-2 to Honduras at home, or come out snarling and fighting. “We’ve told our players to prepare for every eventuality,” said assistant coach Dave Sarachan. “T&T might just pack it in emotionally, but they also might charge into us, because they’re desperate and they know this is their last chance.” At their workout last night at Foxboro, the T&T players laughed and joked during warm-ups, then steamed through a snappy 30-minute controlled scrimmage. Head coach Ian Porterfield, a Scotsman who has had difficulties managing the flamboyant yet fickle personalities of his players, kept a brave face amid rumors that this game could be his last. Brazilian Rene Simoes, who coached Jamaica to the 1998 World Cup before resigning for health reasons, oversees the team as technical director. T&T president Jack Warner, who is also the president of CONCACAF, has promised that changes are imminent if T&T’s performances don’t improve. “This game is crucial,” said Porterfield. “Usually [on the road] you can say, ‘OK, I’m happy with a point.’ But a point is no good to us. We need the three points. “That’s the way we’ve got to look at things, but we still have to approach the game sensibly.” Porterfield has had to deal with soap-opera scenarios swirling about his two best players, Dwight Yorke and Russell Latapy. Yorke was suspended for missing a friendly and then reinstated in time for the Honduras game, and the latter — who last month was mired in an acrimonious departure from his Scottish club Hibernian — didn’t start against Honduras, then came on as a sub and scored a goal. “We all know about Russell and the Americans certainly know a player of this caliber,” said Yorke. “He’s been around, he has experience and on top of that he’s a fantastic player. When at the top of his game, he’s our leader.” The U.S. players are well aware T&T abounds with talent. Yorke, Latapy, ex-Columbus striker Stern John and midfielder Arnold Dwarika are all capable of wreaking havoc if given the opportunity. “They don’t have a big, strong player like [Jamaican] Onandi Lowe,ö U.S. defender Jeff Agoos said, ôbut Yorke plays for one of the greatest teams in the world [Manchester United] and we all know Stern John from MLS and what he can do.” Said Arena of Latapy, “He’s going to be the key to the game as far as we’re concerned.” No one seems to know if T&T will play with three or four in the back. Porterfield hinted that T&T would go with a 4-4-2, but the U.S. staff expects to see a 3-5-2. T&T has scored just three goals in its four Hexagonal games. The U.S. has conceded only one. But because the visitors are desperate and the hosts want goals, play is expected to be aggressive on both sides. That is T&T’s metier most of the time anyway. “If there’s a difference between the two Caribbean teams,” said Arena, “I’d say Jamaica is more technical and Trinidad relies more on their strength and speed.” Midfielder Antony Rougier is suspended and former Howard University goalkeeper Shaka Hislop has been bothered by knee problems. Angus Eve, who usually starts on the right side of midfield, was suspended for the Honduras game. Cobi Jones comes back from suspension but has been bothered by a groin pull. The U.S. men have a 5-0-3 record at Foxboro. In qualifiers, it tied Mexico 2-2 and beat El Salvador 4-2 in 1997 and beat Barbados 7-0 last year. PROBABLE LINEUPS: USA — Friedel; Cherundolo, Pope, Agoos, Regis; Sanneh, Armas, Stewart, Reyna; Kirovski, Moore. Trinidad & Tobago — Ince; M. Andrews, Lawrence, Elcock; Carrington, Saunders, Eve, Rahim, Eve, Dwarika; Yorke, John.