It looked like the U.S. men’s national team was about to go through World Cup group play without a loss until Kaan Ayhan’s last-minute winner sent the Americans to a 3-2 defeat Thursday against Türkiye at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The U.S. winning its first two games to start the tournament and securing the top spot in Group D meant manager Mauricio Pochettino could rest the majority of his starting XI and get a feel for how the rest of his lineup fared. The early returns were positive, with goals from Auston Trusty and Sebastian Berhalter, but ultimately the U.S. couldn’t stop conceding to Türkiye.
Here’s a look at what happened, how it unfolded and what it means going forward as the U.S. heads to the knockout round.
Manager rating (out of 10)
Mauricio Pochettino, 6—Gaining a firmer grasp on his depth was the most important thing for Pochettino and his staff to take from the match against Türkiye. What they saw were players they know they can trust when it comes time for a change, whereas others appeared to present them more questions than answers. A draw seemed like a fair result until that breakdown at the end sent the U.S. to its first defeat.
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USMNT player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, 5 = average)
— It could be argued that he might have come out too early on Arda Güler’s goal to close down the angle before still getting beat. What also didn’t help Turner is that he, like a few others, appeared to be frozen in response to Orkun Kökçü’s go-ahead goal. But Turner was consistent when it came to stopping crosses before the late winner.
— Seeing the contributions that Alex Freeman and Sergiño Dest have made from the right side in the Americans’ previous two games was a contrast to Scally, who was much quieter in that area. He was also caught out of position and then beat on Kökçü’s goal to give Türkiye a 2-1 lead.
— Robinson had a few clearances during that stretch when Türkiye found confidence in its attack after the second goal. But at the same time, he was also part of the collection of people who got caught out of position on that goal, and it would be a similar experience on Ayhan’s match winner.
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— McKenzie had one of the more challenging nights of any player. McKenzie was made to look vulnerable on Güler’s goal that allowed Türkiye to tie the score in the 10th minute before he was also caught out on the second goal. And like a few members of the U.S. back line, he was also left vulnerable on the winning goal.
— Trusty’s night started strong when he was on the far end of the goal as he struck home the opener off a corner that allowed the U.S. to take the lead within the first two minutes. But he also had challenging moments such as one-on-one situations against Güler and turnovers that led to counters.
— McKennie almost had the first goal on that corner before the ball went to Trusty. Overall, McKennie was a presence who found ways to get into space with the aim of controlling tempo for a side that struggled to find consistency whether it was on the ball or away from it.
— Berhalter had the strongest performance of anyone in the starting XI. His first corner that led to a goal was part of a consistent flow of deliveries into the box that nearly led to a second goal in the first half. The Americans would later get that equalizer thanks to him blasting a shot from long range that found an opening.
Read more:Christian Pulisic subs on as U.S. loses to Türkiye on last kick
— Reyna had some key moments early on when he drew a foul and had a nice exchange in Türkiye’s zone that led to a turnover and a full-on counter that saw the U.S. concede a corner.
— Aaronson facilitated attacks and even earned a corner within the first 30 minutes, but he also had times when he struggled to carve a place for himself. An example came in the 71st minute when he had the ball on the edge of the box before losing possession.
— Weah also had something of a mixed evening. He was willing to run and was on the receiving end of those long balls as the U.S. attempted to probe Türkiye’s zone. However, Weah’s pace worked against him at times as he was called offside before being subbed off before the hour mark.
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— Pepi seemed a bit more visible playing down the middle against Türkiye compared with when he was on the wing against Australia. He had his moments when he came into midfield to provide support while also having potential chances in the box that didn’t quite pan out.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes = no rating)
— Any potential questions about his fitness after missing the Australia match because of injury were instantly answered. Pulisic provided the consistent threat that the U.S. was struggling to find. He had moments such as when he beat Zeki Celik before launching a shot on net along with another that just sailed past Ugurcan Çakir’s post in the 77th minute.
— Pulisic operating on the left and middle at times meant it was a bit quiet for Dest when it came to the attacking sequences.
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— There was a ball he had in the box late in the second half that gave the U.S. a chance to threaten.
— His insertion into the match provided more defensive stability when attacks came down the right until he was part of the group of defenders left helpless on Türkiye’s winning salvo.
Tillman relieved his normal midfield partner by giving the U.S. a box-to-box presence that helped see out the match.
