INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The U.S. had won its first two World Cup matches in grand fashion, clinched first place in the group in unprecedented manner and sent an intoxicating buzz across a country that yearned for decades for such a breakthrough summer.
Even the Americans’ Round-of-32 opponent had been settled. As if scripted, everything had fallen into place with barely a lapse.
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But there was still the matter of the Group D finale Thursday at SoFi Stadium, and though it carried no consequence, the USMNT’s 3-2 loss to Türkiye will not sit well with Mauricio Pochettino’s bunch.
In the eighth minute of stoppage time, on the final touch of a wild match, substitute Kaan Ayhan poked the ball into the net — a crushing end to a mostly celebratory night.
With most of the first-choice players left out of the starting lineup, including Christian Pulisic, the Americans continued their knack of scoring early. They conceded two goals before halftime for their first deficit of the tournament, but during a resurgent second half, Sebastian Berhalter scored a thunderous equalizer.
Berhalter also assisted on Auston Trusty‘s third-minute goal.
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With its best group performance in the modern era, the U.S. will turn its attention to Wednesday’s knockout match in Santa Clara, California, against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which finished third in Group B with a 1-1-1 record.
“We lost the game, but I don’t think it was a game to lose,” midfielder Brenden Aaronson said. “We had a lot of chances and we could have done better in some defensive plays. … I still think it was a top game, and we need to move on, of course. But we’re full of confidence. I’m not worried about it.”
Pulisic, who left the opener with a calf injury and sat out the second match, entered to a roaring ovation in the 58th minute and threatened to score the go-ahead goal multiple times.
While Pulisic was cleared to participate, defensive midfielder Cristian Roldan was ruled out with a strained quadriceps. He had not trained all week.
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Roldan probably would have started in place of Tyler Adams, and with no other natural options, Pochettino moved the multifaceted Weston McKennie into the deep lying role.
Adams was among four starters held out of the lineup because of a yellow card in the first two matches. A second yellow would’ve resulted in suspension from the Round of 32. (Group-stage yellow cards are erased after the third match.)
Left back Antonee Robinson, center back Chris Richards and striker Folarin Balogun were also protected.
McKennie and striker Ricardo Pepi were the only starting holdovers from the 2-0 win over Australia last Friday in Seattle.
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The new starters were goalkeeper Matt Turner; defenders Trusty, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson and Joe Scally; midfielders Berhalter and Gio Reyna; and wingers Aaronson and Tim Weah.
Turner, Miles Robinson, McKenzie and Aaronson had not played a minute in the first two matches.
The only mild lineup surprise was Turner replacing Freese, who was more than adequate in the first two games and didn’t carry any fitness or yellow-card concerns. Turner was no stranger to the stage, having played every minute of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Having such lineup flexibility in a group finale was unusual for the U.S., which, since returning to the World Cup in 1990 following a 40-year absence, had never secured passage to the knockout stage after just two matches. (In 1998, it was eliminated after two games.)
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“We know everyone’s ready to step up at any given moment,” Berhalter said. “You saw it today. We let some moments get away from us, but I thought performances overall were good. Some guys haven’t played a minute, and they stepped up and did great. I’m proud of the group.”
Christian Pulisic returned from a calf injury as a second-half substitute against Türkiye, making his first appearance since the USMNT’s World Cup opener.
(Fran Santiago via Getty Images)
A pre-tournament threat to win the group, Türkiye was one of the biggest disappointments, falling from contention after losing to Australia and Paraguay without scoring a goal.
The players and their Italian coach, Vincenzo Montella, came under searing criticism this week both in the U.S. and Türkiye. On Wednesday, Montella lectured the critics and attempted to shield his players, whom he called “our boys (and) the future.”
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How Türkiye approached the inconsequential match — play hard or plan for vacation? — was a source of intrigue in recent days. Pochettino and the U.S. players braced for an opponent desperate to salvage something out of its lost tournament and cool the temperature back home.
If Türkiye’s spirit was fragile, the U.S. figured an early goal just might crush it. From the start, the pressure was severe.
Berhalter’s low corner kick slipped into a dangerous spot. Trusty’s shot drew a diving save from Uğurcan Çakır. The ensuing corner kick came from the other side. This time, Berhalter went high. Unmarked on the back side, Trusty settled the ball and smashed a 6-yard shot between Cakir and the near post for his first international goal.
At 134 seconds, Trusty’s goal was the second fastest after Clint Dempsey in 30 seconds against Ghana in 2014.
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The euphoria did not last long — and Türkiye certainly did not fold.
In the eighth minute, Arda Güler, Türkiye’s Real Madrid standout, dummied Oğuz Aydin’s pass, which froze McKenzie, and continued his run. With the ball rolling into space behind the U.S. defense, Barış Alper-Yilmaz ran onto it. McKenzie failed to catch up with Guler, who accepted Alper-Yilmaz’s cross and beat Turner.
After McKenzie was offside while putting away a deflection, Türkiye went ahead of a beautifully crafted foray. Güler was at the center of it, combining with Kenan Yıldız. Eren Elmali made an overlapping run, collected Güler’s pass and crossed to Orkun Kökçü for a redirect into the far corner.
Pochettino did not make any changes at the break, and about three minutes into the second half, Berhalter leveled the match. It began with McKenzie’s long throw-in into the penalty area. The ball popped out to Berhalter at the top of the box for a ferocious one-timer that skipped off the grass and past Çakır.
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Pulisic replaced Weah, and after four minutes, Çakır stopped him storming the left side. The ball caromed to Aaronson, whose quick-reaction shot missed an open net. A minute later, Çakır made a remarkable save by touching Pulisic’s deflection off the right post.
Trusty received a major scare in the 90th minute, when he hurt his left ankle and writhed in agony. After medical attention — and with his team shorthanded because all substitutes had been exhausted — he limped back onto the field.
But the U.S. couldn’t finish the job.
“I’m not worried at all,” Aaronson said. “I think the team’s in a great spot.”
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Here’s how the USMNT’s group stage finale vs Türkiye played out in real time:
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Kari Anderson
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Kari Anderson
Türkiye stuns the U.S. in the final minute of stoppage time with a game-winner, exploiting the same issue — defense — that had been a glaring USMNT weakness all game.
Though game didn’t matter for the final group stage results, the USMNT was this close to salvaging a point and some pride to close out the group stage. Instead, they enter the knockout with a brutal loss at the death, and a lot to prove.
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Kari Anderson
Yet another defensive breakdown leads to a game-winner for Türkiye in the final minute. 21-year-old Arda Güler gets the footwork on one side of the field, nutmegging Christian Pulisic and setting up the goal. Can Uzun then gets the cross through Matt Turner’s legs and past three U.S. defenders before Kaan Ayhan slides to send it home.
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Kari Anderson
Alex Zendejas takes a pass right to the groin, and needs a moment to recover. Brutal.
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Kari Anderson
Trust is now back on the field after getting treated. He appears to be fine enough to play this out through stoppage time.
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Kari Anderson
This might be bad for the U.S., as Auston Trusty goes down clutching his right hamstring after being challenged. The USMNT is out of subs, meaning that the team has to play down a player while he receives treatment.
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Kari Anderson
Baffling chance for Türkiye’s Barış Alper Yılmaz, who looks like he’s well on his way to a goal. After grappling with Auston Trusty, Yılmaz gets off balance and completely whiffs the ball, and Matt Turner is there to wrap it up.
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Kari Anderson
Weston McKennie comes out of the match, with Malik Tillman coming in. Christian Pulisic takes the captain’s armband.
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Kari Anderson
A dangerous Türkiye chance is well-defended by the U.S., as Alex Freeman cuts off the angle and Matt Turner is able to nab the ball out of the air. Things feel more settled on the back line.
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Kari Anderson
Brendan Aaronson, Gio Reyna and Joe Scally are coming out of the game, replaced by Sergiño Dest, Alex Zendejas and Alex Freeman, who scored in Friday’s game in Seattle.
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Kari Anderson
Türkiye takes the free kick fast, with Orkun Kökçü sending the ball down to Barış Alper Yılmaz. Matt Turner comes off his line to break up the ball, but Yılmaz is able to deflect it, and chases Turner for a moment before the keeper is able to scoop up the ball to safety.
Shortly afterwards, Kenan Yıldız is able to hit a powerful shot, but it goes wide, keeping the U.S. draw safe for now.
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Kari Anderson
The energy has been much better for the U.S. so far this half, even before Pulisic subbed in. Hopefully they will be able to convert it into another goal.
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Kari Anderson
What an incredible save from Uğurcan Çakır, who dives to block a redirected shot from Christian Pulisic, but lands hard on his right arm.
Çakır has been down and receiving treatment for a while, but eventually gets up to defend a U.S. corner kick.
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Kari Anderson
Near chance from Christian Pulisic, who motors down the field, but his shot is saved by Uğurcan Çakır. Brenden Aaronson then gets the rebound, but it goes wide.
Just minutes into the game, Pulisic has already creating multiple chances.
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Kari Anderson
After missing last game with a calf injury, Christian Pulisic is back on the field, replacing Tim Weah in the 58th minute. He will hopefully help jumpstart this U.S. attack even more in the remaining minutes.
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Kari Anderson
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Kari Anderson
What a stunning shot from Sebastian Berhalter, who slices the ball through traffic and into the left side netting for a beautiful equalizer.
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Kari Anderson
Looks like no subs for either team as the second half kicks off. Pochettino is sticking with what he has for now.
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Kari Anderson
Just some context for Türkiye’s surprising first-half lead: Across the team’s first two games against Australia and Paraguay, Türkiye made 62 shots and did not score a single goal. This is a Türkiye team that could not find an equalizer against Paraguay despite playing up a man for most of the second half, or score on any of the 13 total on-target shots in the two games.
Comparatively, Türkiye has now scored two goals off of four total shots, putting up a substantially more efficient showing than earlier in the tournament. Not an ideal start for this U.S. defense.
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Kari Anderson
After a very hot start for the USMNT, off an Auston Trusty goal in the 3rd minute, it’s been mostly Türkiye in this first half. The U.S. struggled to defend on both of Türkiye’s goals, and haven’t been able to connect their attacking chances with keeper Uğurcan Çakır making three saves.
Though this lineup was intended to give the rest of the team a break, it likely hasn’t resulted in the kind of play that Mauricio Pochettino was hoping for. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some substitutions after halftime.