By Ridge Mahoney in Miami & Port of Spain

Lacking several members of the 2002 World Cup team that reached the quarterfinals, including the starting goalkeeper, the U.S. begins the final phase of the qualifying for the 2006 competition short of practice time as well as players.

ôThe only thing that has been affected is our preparation,ö said Coach Bruce Arena after putting 23 players through a final training session at the University of Miami prior to departure Monday evening for Port of Spain, where the U.S. opens the 2005 Hexagonal Wednesday against Trinidad & Tobago.

ôWeÆre behind schedule. IÆm as satisfied as I can be,ö Arena said. ôWe canÆt make up for lost time. Two weeks of preparation with the domestic players to play a qualifying game certainly is not enough. But we canÆt make any excuses. Those are the cards that have been dealt, so weÆre going to move on and try to be ready to win on Wednesday.ö

Deprived of three weeksÆ training camp and two friendly matches because of the labor dispute, Arena will rely heavily on his 10 European-based players although the MLS contingent numbers 13.

Kasey Keller played for Borussia Moenchengladbach Sunday and was unable to join the team in Miami for training, although he showed up in time to accompany the team on its charter flight to Port of Spain.

With Brad Friedel making his retirement from the national team official on Monday, the years of he and Keller alternating as No. 1 are done.

ôAnytime a player like that decides to hang up his gloves, you understand,ö says Brian McBride, himself a resident of England with his family in tow. ôHeÆs got family now and heÆs also working hard with the business side of things. IÆm sure he wanted to focus on his little girl and those things. WeÆll miss him, but thankfully thatÆs one position we have a lot of depth. KaseyÆs been excellent and we have a lot of other options, Tim, and so on. But IÆm sad to see him go because he was such a great player for the U.S. for so long.ö

DaMarcus Beasley has been working on the right flank as well as the left with the obvious intent of playing Eddie Lewis as the left-sided midfielder. Beasley has played on the right side in several recent games for PSV Eindhoven, although Arena has tried him there previously with little success.

The back four will include at least two Europeans — Carlos Bocanegra and Cory Gibbs — and could be an all-Euro group if Gregg Berhalter gets the start instead of Eddie Pope, who missed a Sunday training session and didnÆt participate in all drills Monday, and Arena gives Steve Cherundolo the start at right back.

With Landon Donovan, Brian McBride and Keller also among the likely starters, the MLS could be represented only by Brian Ching and Pablo Mastroeni on Wednesday at the opening kickoff, although Pope trained with the first team yesterday during a practice session where Arena shuffled players between 11-man teams in a full-field drill.

This reliance on the foreign-based players may lessen as the MLS season unfolds and players gain fitness and sharpness, but the absence of Bobby Convey and Tim Howard — both of whom havenÆt been playing regularly for their clubs in England — point out the importance of action as well as location.

ôItÆs not secret that one of the great advantages of playing abroad is itÆs more competitive in terms of fighting for positions,ö says Lewis of Preston North End. ôEven in the Championship League [English second-tier] I play in now, although I wouldnÆt say the level is all that incredible, itÆs a very competitive league.ö

One MLS player who has been flying around at training is Frankie Hejduk, whose energy and work rate may be needed off the bench if he doesn't start.

The U.S. will play T&T at QueenÆs Park Oval, a cricket stadium known for a very fast surface, and there wonÆt be any shortage of noise raining down from the stands. ThereÆs also the return of troubled and talented striker Dwight Yorke, who left the national team in 2001 and returned to play poorly against Haiti in a 1-0 loss on Sunday, and the days of celebration leading up to the match as the nation indulges in Carnival.

ôHe brings experience and you canÆt replace experience. Certainly thatÆs what theyÆre banking on,ö says Arena of Yorke, who twice scored 32 goals in a English Premier League season but hasnÆt produced a lot for the national team in major matches.

ôItÆs their opening game, theyÆve spent a lot of time preparing their team, theyÆll be very emotional. TheyÆll have a huge home-field advantage with a capacity crowd playing on a field that probably wonÆt be the best because itÆs a cricket ground and theyÆve had events for Carnival there. ItÆs a difficult game but no different than any other World Cup qualifying game on the road.ö

The U.S. has not lost to a CONCACAF team in 29 matches, since losing 2-0 in Costa Rica in September, 2001. It last played T&T in the final game of the 2001 Hexagonal; with the U.S. qualified and T&T eliminated, the teams drew 0-0 in Port of Spain.

ôThese teams arenÆt the same so whatever happened four years ago doesnÆt hold any water today,ö said Arena.