On Thursday, the United States entered their third group match with nothing to play for, except program history. They'd never won three group games before, and they were playing Turkiye, who were eliminated and had nothing to play for.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino rotated his squad heavily, with only two starters from the Australia game starting against Turkiye; Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi. Nine new starters came in, as Pochettino elected to rest a large portion of starters for the knockout rounds.
USA 🇺🇸 Starting XI vs Türkiye 🇹🇷
— SixOneFive Soccer (@615Soccer) June 26, 2026
Turner; Trusty, M.Robinson, McKenzie, Scally; Berhalter, McKennie ©; Aaronson, Reyna, Weah; Pepi
BENCH: Freese, Brady, Dest, Richards, Adams, A.Robinson, Pulisic, Reyna, Freeman, Tillman, Arfsten, Wright, Balogun, Zendejas pic.twitter.com/EvhoiDIZFd
For the new nine starters, this was a chance to prove themselves. Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter did just that. One of the best set-piece takers in MLS, the Vancouver Whitecaps man showed his quality on Thursday night. He delivered a pinpoint ball to Auston Trusty on the back post from a corner and got the assist to give the US the lead barely three minutes into the match.
Türkiye fired back seven minutes later with Arda Güler, while Barış Yılmaz would give them the lead 15 minutes before halftome.
The US came out flying more in the second half. Berhalter led that charge, firing home a clean strike four minutes into the second half to equalize. The US seemed to have come alive in that second half. More pressure, more attacking, and simply better soccer was on display.
Christian Pulisic returned to the field Thursday night, entering the game in the 58th minute. Every time he got on the ball, he has the potential to make something happen, whether a threaded through ball or shot on target.
The USMNT were the better side in the second half, and it showed. However in the 98th minute, Kaan Ayhan scored off a rebound in the six-yard box to give Türkiye the win.
Fans need to recognize the ability to rotate and play with no pressure is a blessing. The US entered this game in uncharted territory. They’ve never won a group with a game to play. The rotation was a very smart from Pochettino, who refused to risk suspension or injury to key players in what was ultimately a meaningless game.
The US will take on Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday night, July 1st, at 7 pm CT.
