USMNT Crumbles Against Türkiye: Berhalter's Bright Farewell Tarnished by Bitter Loss

The U.S. men's national team must wait until at least 2030 to achieve a flawless group stage, following a gut-wrenching 3–2 defeat to Türkiye on Thursday that brought the first phase of the 2026 World Cup to a close. 

Although the USMNT failed to earn a point and finished with six points from three matches, they had already secured top spot in Group D, setting up the most favorable possible route through the knockout rounds. With the defeat now behind them, attention shifts to the round of 32 showdown with Bosnia & Herzegovina on Wednesday in Santa Clara, Calif. 

Türkiye, meanwhile, had entered Friday already knocked out of the competition following defeats to Paraguay and Australia. 

Thursday's encounter saw manager Mauricio Pochettino rotate nine of the starters from the side that beat Australia 2–0 the previous week, aiming to prevent injuries and yellow card suspensions. For the majority of the match, it appeared the USMNT would come away with a victory regardless. 

Sebastian Berhalter, an MLS standout with the Vancouver Whitecaps, was the standout performer of the evening. With a precise delivery from a corner kick, he set up defender Auston Trusty to open the scoring in the third minute, before Real Madrid's Arda Güler equalized seven minutes later for Türkiye. 

Türkiye edged ahead before the break through Barış Alper Yılmaz in the 32nd minute, before Berhalter responded with a long-range effort in the 49th minute to restore parity at 2–2.

Pochettino reshuffled his side in the final 32 minutes, introducing much of the first-choice lineup, including star winger Christian Pulisic, along with Sergiño Dest, Alex Freeman, and Malik Tillman. However, their combined quality proved insufficient to deny Türkiye, as Kaan Ayhan struck a winner in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time. 

While the USMNT claimed Group D, Australia played out a crucial goalless draw against Paraguay, earning automatic progression to the round of 32 as the group's runners-up. 

Here's a breakdown of how every player who featured for the USMNT performed in Thursday's defeat, and what the statistics reveal. 

The One Thing We Can't Ignore

The USMNT's second-choice side occupied the pitch for the bulk of this contest, yet it wasn't them who surrendered the victory in the end—that fell to the first team, with the final group of players on the field including several starters from the win over Paraguay.

This marked the first genuine pressure test of the tournament for the USMNT, and they crumbled, failing to demonstrate the quality needed to hold on in the closing moments. The U.S. was undone at a corner in the dying seconds, as Pulisic was nutmegged by Güler and regular starter Freeman lost his man, Ayhan, at the back post following a dangerous delivery.

With the knockout rounds now approaching, the USMNT will need to perform far better when the pressure mounts. 

USMNT Player Ratings vs. Türkiye (4-3-3)

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Matt Turner—5.7: Largely untested. The New England Revolution shot-stopper was unable to produce a crucial save when his side needed it most.

RB: Joe Scally—6.2: Making his first World Cup start, the Borussia Mönchengladbach defender kept things composed on the right flank and combined well with Weston McKennie.

CB: Miles Robinson—6.2: The FC Cincinnati center-back found it difficult to contain Türkiye's lively attackers.

CB: Mark McKenzie—5.8: Caught ball-watching for the opening goal, McKenzie needed the first half to find his footing at World Cup level.

LB: Auston Trusty—7.5: Trusty became just the third USMNT player in history to score his first international goal at a World Cup and was largely dependable in defending the left flank.

RM: Weston McKennie—7.2: One of the few carryovers from the preferred starting lineup, McKennie anchored the midfield trio alongside Sebastian Berhalter and Gio Reyna.

CM: Sebastian Berhalter—8.9: A memorable display from the Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder and son of former USMNT manager and player Gregg Berhalter.

LM: Gio Reyna—6.0: Charged with providing more creativity in attack, Reyna was unable to deliver key contributions, in part due to Tim Weah's underwhelming showing.

RW: Brenden Aaronson —6.0: The Leeds United forward squandered one of his late opportunities after combining with Christian Pulisic.

ST: Ricardo Pepi—5.9: Starting his second match after impressing in a wide role against Australia, Pepi struggled to find dangerous positions in front of goal as the USMNT relied heavily on set-pieces and second-ball situations.

ST: Tim Weah—5.3: There had been expectations that Tim Weah could feature in the bigger matches this summer. Though the Marseille forward operated on his weaker left side, his 59-minute outing was one to forget.

SUB: Christian Pulisic (58' for Weah)—6.0: Back from injury, Pulisic brought energy and helped spark a late push from the USMNT. Pochettino will be hoping he's fully fit for the round of 32.

SUB: Alex Zendejas (76' for Aaronson)—5.9: Made his World Cup debut but saw limited involvement with the ball.

SUB: Sergiño Dest (76' for Reyna)—6.4: Came on as the USMNT pushed for all three points, but the first-choice wingback couldn't provide the decisive moment.

SUB: Alex Freeman (76' for Scally)—6.4: The hero from the Australia victory was unable to salvage a draw.

SUB: Malik Tillman (86' for McKennie)—N/A: Had a brief cameo on the pitch.

Subs not used: Matt Freese (GK), Chris Brady (GK), Antonee Robinson, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Max Arfsten, Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Haji Wright

What the Ratings Tell Us

The Numbers That Explain the Group Stage Finale

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