INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Few would blame U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino for being as transparent as possible with his side’s massive turnaround in Thursday’s game against Turkiye, even if it was laughable at first. Then again, the idea of a dead rubber match at the World Cup, where the stakes are as high as they can possibly be, is laughable in itself. It’s fitting, then, that the USMNT’s defense was also laughable in its own right, a flurry of errors ensuring the team would go down 3-2 in a game that provided a strange break from the high rise the tournament hosts had otherwise enjoyed.
Things seemed to start well when Auston Trusty, on his World Cup debut, scored his first World Cup goal just three minutes after the start. Even with nine changes to the team that started with a 2-0 win over Australia on Friday, the team appeared to embody Pochettino’s high-intensity ethos – they outscored Turkiye eight to four in the first half. Sebastian Berhalter’s assist on Trusty’s goal also provided further confirmation of the choice of Pochettino’s plan; The midfielder’s fitness is his greatest strength.
It all came out quickly, though. Defender Mark McKenzie – another World Cup debutant – was unimpressed by Adra Guler’s 10th-minute goal, as was goalkeeper Matt Turner. After about 20 minutes, it was Joe Scally’s turn to look as unfit for the job as Orkun Kokcu as he gave Turkiye a long-awaited lead.
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Those three were a far cry from the USMNT’s unimpressive numbers Thursday at SoFi Stadium. Tim Weah hasn’t done much to establish himself as a starter, nearly four years removed from being the USMNT’s starter on the left wing, almost absent from the field along with other starters in attack. The momentum they started with faded before the season started midway through the first half, with both teams nearly finishing the first 45 minutes in form.
If it was a good game for anyone, it was for the starters who usually come off the bench in the first half. None of their replacements have strengthened their case for a place on the roster come Wednesday’s round of 32 game. The loss to Turkiye was far from entertaining, sometimes uninspiring but it also provided a stark reminder that the USMNT is one team with its best players and a completely different team without them, their bench perhaps not as deep as it was seen in the wins over Paraguay and Australia.
It’s no real surprise, either – Pochettino’s USMNT have struggled in preparation for the World Cup in large part because he was constantly missing a key starter or two. The US could survive the absence of Christian Pulisic, as it did against Australia, but that was only because some of their fundamentals were there. Fullback Chris Richards and midfielder Tyler Adams remain as irreplaceable as everyone else but many other players have a role in this national team, it turns out. Sergino Dest’s dynamism on the wing is hard to replicate; Folarin Balogun keeps opposing defenders busy like few of his colleagues can; even Tim Ream, the old country official who usually draws the ire of fans, offers more stability than the players who usually sit on the bench in his place.
Even in the midst of all that, however, there is little reason to dampen the sense of optimism this team has brought into the finals of Group D. None of these players have been forced to miss Thursday’s game. They just got a whole night, a chance to catch their breath before a very important game, and now without the burden of yellow cards that could get them suspended for the next game. Some of the starters against Turkey are also likely to have cemented themselves in a strong squad – Ricardo Pepi proved against Australia that he can do a real job as a forward, while Gio Reyna’s substitution and goal against Paraguay served as a reminder that he is still a talented and unique player in the US player pool.
The reminder came in game time, too. Christian Pulisic’s 58th-minute substitution was not only a welcome addition to the player who missed the Australia game with a calf problem, but he almost single-handedly revived the American team. Within minutes of Weah’s arrival, he came down the left and created a chance for Brenden Aaronson to convert. Whether it was one hand in his fate or the result of a mental shift, the mixed press of the USMNT seemed to return when Pulisic returned. They had plenty of chances in the minutes after his dismissal, looking like the team that topped the group last week.
It paved the way for a redemption of sorts in the second half, when they went on to outscore Turkiye 10-4 and limit their opponents to two goals, returning to the form of a team that set a World Cup record for most shots taken without scoring. Berhalter also stood out even in a mixed bag of team play. He’s not among the USMNT’s starting midfield but he’s an incredibly useful player, his meteoric rise almost a year after earning his first title. Trusty’s goal exemplified his mastery in dead ball situations and Berhalter’s 49th-minute equalizer was another – that game started with a set piece but he can strike the ball with skill and did just that, becoming the first USMNT player to get a goal and an assist in a World Cup match.
There was one last reminder that a roaring version of the USMNT was involved in this game rather than the real deal. Arda Guler started the game and a round of continuous pressure ensured that Kaan Ayhan would score with the last kick of the game, the hope of ending the exciting group stage had already arrived for his fellow hosts of the World Cup but officially gone in one fell swoop.
The uneven exit, however, is consistent with the USMNT’s identity under Pochettino, regardless of who is in the starting lineup. This team is not known for its defensive qualities but will be carried by a group of talented attackers, several in career-best form, all of whom are the perfect fit for a coach who always appreciates an attack-first approach. It worked at times on Thursday, if not throughout the 90-minute game, which is encouraging in itself. Coupled with the team’s recent performances, in the World Cup and the final pre-tournament friendlies, it is more than enough to remind everyone that their intention to make statements is still going strong.
