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The U.S. men's national team's fairytale World Cup group stage came to a devastating end on Friday, losing to Türkiye 3–2 in the final moments of stoppage time at SoFi Stadium.
The result was technically meaningless in terms of tournament standings—the USMNT having already clinched first place in Group D, while Türkiye heads home. Still, the U.S. squandered the chance to not only enter the knockout stage riding a wave of confidence, but also etch their name in history on home turf, becoming the first team to record a flawless group stage at soccer's grandest tournament.
The U.S., who fielded a heavily-rotated squad featuring nine new starters, will be keen to return to their core group of trusted players. Their focus now shifts to Bosnia & Herzegovina, the Group B third-place finisher they will meet in the round of 32 on Wednesday.
Defensive Failures
Having managed 62 shots across the opening two group stage games without finding the net, few anticipated Türkiye scoring twice against the U.S. on a mere three shots within the first 30 minutes to take the lead.
The four players in the U.S. backline—an entirely overhauled unit consisting of Auston Trusty, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson and Joe Scally—appeared more disoriented than anyone, looking completely frantic as they tried to cope with the Crescent-Stars' aggressive offensive approach, particularly in the opening half.
It was precisely the backline's reactive rather than proactive style that kept them under relentless pressure, transforming what should have been a solid barrier in front of goalkeeper Matt Turner into a porous and unreliable structure. The Americans were routinely exploited by Turkish attackers, particularly along the wings, as Trusty was simply outmaneuvered in one-on-one situations, and Scally was frequently caught watching the ball.
To be fair, Türkiye deserves considerable credit. The side, battling for any sense of pride before their departure, delivered a commanding attacking display in the first half, perhaps even borrowing a page from the U.S. playbook with their bold, front-foot approach from the opening whistle. They were precise in their build-up play, with young sensation Arda Güler, 21, orchestrating all of the creative moves.
Even so, the backline struggled to adapt to Türkiye's tactics. They were repeatedly caught out by clever give-and-go combinations on three separate occasions and allowed the ball to slice through the gap between the center back and fullback on both flanks—two incisive passes that directly led to Türkiye's opening two goals. The backline failed to respond with a more compact and cohesive shape.
The defensive fragility, which invited Türkiye's sustained high press, even forced lone striker Ricardo Pepi to drop deeper than intended, spending energy on defensive duties that pulled him away from several key counterattacking opportunities. Likewise, left winger Timothy Weah was dragged into more defensive responsibilities, leaving him largely ineffective throughout the match. Right winger Brenden Aaronson and attacking midfielder Gio Reyna were virtually invisible throughout.
One area where the U.S. backline did shine, however, was in aerial duels. Collectively, they registered 13 headed clearances.
Pochettino will be eager to restore his key defenders, particularly center back Chris Richards and fullback Antonee Robinson, to the starting eleven against Bosnia & Herzegovina. None of Friday's defenders made a convincing case for a place in the first-choice lineup going forward.
Set Piece Success
Despite everything that went wrong on Friday, the U.S. demonstrated their strength in two key departments: the opening minutes of a match and offensive set pieces.
Trusty got the scoring underway in the third minute, converting a shot from the back post off an in-swinging corner kick delivered by Sebastian Berhalter, marking his first goal in international competition. It was the U.S.'s third straight World Cup match in which they found the net within the opening 11 minutes.
McKenzie nearly added another from a set piece just 25 minutes later. He pounced on an out-swinger from Berhalter, blasting a shot into the net after goalkeeper Ugurcan Çakir's initial save rebounded to him. The goal was subsequently ruled offside; nonetheless, the moment underscored the U.S.'s threat from dead-ball situations.
The U.S. grabbed their second goal in the 49th minute through Berhalter, who struck a first-time effort from outside the box following a rebounded long throw-in taken by McKenzie.
The USMNT will need to lean on their set piece quality and early-goal tendencies to gain an advantage in the more demanding knockout rounds.
Christian Pulisic Returns
A deafening roar from the crowd that seemed to rattle the very walls of SoFi Stadium announced the return of USMNT talisman Pulisic.
"Captain America," widely considered one of the finest American players to ever grace the sport, alongside legends such as Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan, stepped onto the pitch in the 58th minute for the first time since the World Cup opener against Paraguay.
After putting on a dazzling performance across the first 45 minutes against the South Americans, registering an assist and generating numerous attacking opportunities on the way to a 4–1 victory, Pulisic was withdrawn at halftime. The winger had re-aggravated an existing calf injury, forcing him to sit out the remainder of that match as well as the following game against Australia.
Pulisic entered Friday's contest in full fitness, however, and instantly demonstrated his importance to the team. He conjured three big chances within just the first five minutes of his appearance, helping inject much-needed energy into the second half. He tied for the most shots with three, two of which were on target, and completed all 12 of his passes for a 100% passing accuracy.
Once he rediscovers his full rhythm, he will be absolutely central to the U.S.'s ambitions in the knockout stages.
Loss of Momentum?
The U.S. entered the match in blistering form after comfortably dispatching Paraguay and Australia. Only time will tell how the late defeat against Türkiye impacts the U.S.'s momentum heading into the knockout rounds.
SI answers is our AI answer engine trained on human-created content.
Perhaps Pochettino had already anticipated this exact scenario, fully aware of the real possibility that the U.S. might suffer a defeat. After all, he deployed a largely unfamiliar starting lineup and kept key figures such as midfield anchor Tyler Adams, prolific striker Folarin Balogun and defensive cornerstone Richards on the bench. Perhaps Pochettino concluded that the advantage of fresh legs—and no yellow card suspensions—heading into the round of 32 outweighs the potential blow to momentum from a draw or loss.
Regardless, the U.S. will be left frustrated by the outcome and the narrow miss at making history.