The United States men's national team fell 3-2 to Turkey on a last-second goal in their final World Cup group match, but players insisted the defeat does not derail their momentum ahead of the knockout stage. The match, played on Thursday in Irvine, California, was a dead rubber as the US had already secured first place in Group D with wins over Paraguay and Australia.
Rotation and Caution Issues
With four key players—Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Folarin Balogun, and Tyler Adams—carrying yellow cards that would be wiped after the group stage, coach Mauricio Pochettino opted to rest them entirely to avoid suspension. Christian Pulisic was also a second-half substitute after recovering from a calf injury. This opened the door for fringe players to gain tournament minutes.
“We know everyone’s ready to step up at any given moment,” said midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, who earned his first start. “I think you saw that today. I think we let some moments get away from us, but I thought the performances overall were good.”
Match Summary
The US opened the scoring through Auston Trusty, who headed in a corner from Berhalter for his first international goal. Turkey equalized but Berhalter leveled again at 2-2 in the second half, running onto a headed ball and beating goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır. However, Turkey scored in the dying seconds to snatch a 3-2 victory.
“It doesn’t [hurt momentum],” Berhalter said of the result. “I think you saw the second half, how we came out, and I think we deserved more. I think one moment, we slipped in the last second of the game. We’re proud of the performance we put in.”
Positive Takeaways
Defender Auston Trusty, who rolled his left ankle during the match but said it was treated, echoed the sentiment. “We were overwhelmingly positive,” Trusty said. “Obviously, going into this game, they really had nothing to play for. Guys got minutes to prove themselves and show their ability, and that’s what we did. And I think we played well. We had a lot of chances that didn’t go our way, and then to lose with the last-second goal was just unfortunate.”
Tyler Adams, one of the rested players, took the loss in stride. “It’s not going to be perfect,” Adams said. “No tournament is perfect. You live and you learn. I think a lot of the guys will take lessons from that game.”
Looking Ahead to Knockout Stage
The US will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, a team that finished third in Group A after drawing Canada and beating Qatar. The match will be played in the Bay Area. Veteran defender Tim Ream emphasized the need to move on. “Teams can punish you, teams can hurt you,” Ream said. “It’s one of those things. You’ll be disappointed with the loss, but the sun rises tomorrow. We’re in the round of 32 and we have a new team to focus on.”
