U.S women begin World Cup qualifying with narrow win over valiant Trinidad & Tobago

The U.S. women's team began their 2015 World Cup qualifying campaign in the CONCACAF Championship with a 1-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago — a team that has been fighting since arriving in the U.S. last week with just $500 to live on. Abby Wambach scored the match's only goal with a header in the 55th minute as T&T weathered shot after shot from the U.S. with organized defending and a Player of the Match performance from goalkeeper Kimika Forbes.

[Slideshow: United States vs. Trinidad and Tobago in World Cup qualifying]

After the players through their paltry funding just to get to their training base in Dallas — which was provided along with meals for no charge by MLS club FC Dallas — Trinidad & Tobago coach Randy Waldrum put out a call for help on Twitter and the response was overwhelming. Everyone from the Clinton Foundation to Haiti's team chipped in with financial support as the T&T federation was shamed into increasing their own funding of the team.

That's the spirit with which the Trinidad & Tobago players entered the match and used to frustrate the U.S. in Kansas City. Yet if it hadn't have been for Forbes, the score could have been much more lopsided.

It was far from an ideal performance for the U.S., who finished third in 2010 to force them into a playoff against Italy in order to reach the 2011 World Cup, where they were eventually runners-up to Japan. Their finishing wasn't up to par — they had a whopping 27 shots to T&T's seven. But as she's done so many times before, Abby Wambach saved the U.S. from deeper embarrassment with her 171st career international goal.

The U.S. will have to improve quickly, though. Their next group-stage match, against Guatemala, is on Friday and their final one is against Haiti on Monday.

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Brooks Peck

is the editor of Dirty Tackle on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him or follow on Twitter! Follow @BrooksDT