That’s not quite the way the U.S. men’s national team wanted to end the World Cup group stage.
With the final action of the game, Turkish defender Kaan Ayhan stabbed home from close range in he 98th minute to take all three points in a 3-2 win in Los Angeles.
Ayhan came off the bench in the 88th minute. The result didn’t matter, but the U.S. was seeking to go 3-0-0 for the first time ever in the World Cup group stage. But the Crescent-Stars claimed a moment of their own.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino went with almost an entirely rotated side, making nine changes from the 2-0 win vs. Australia. Weston McKennie captained the side and was the only regular starter in the lineup, with Ricardo Pepi staying in attack in place of Folarin Balogun.
Turkey, on the other hand, came out strong with Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz headlining the young stars. Orkun Kokcu and Baris Yilmaz also received deserved starts with their respective qualities.
Just like the first two games, the U.S. opened the score early in the first half. It wasn’t an own goal this time, however.
In just the third minute, a Sebastian Berhalter corner kick from the left flank found Auston Trusty at the back post. The makeshift left-back controlled it well before drilling it home with his left foot.
But the lead didn’t last for long.
Seven minutes later, Turkey scored its first goal of the tournament when Arda Guler got in behind Mark McKenzie and Miles Robinson.
The Real Madrid star had no issue smashing it home with his left foot past backup goalie Matt Turner, who came in for Matt Freese.
The momentum went back to the U.S. from there, but it struggled to create consistent pressure against Turkey with Pepi up top and Tim Weah and Brendan Aaronson on the wings.
Eventually, the first wave of Turkish possession resulted in a goal. Kenan Yildiz showed off his potential by opening the action up on the left flank, then playing it to left-back Eren Elmali. Elmali then cut it back inside the box, where midfielder Orkun Kokcu tapped home in the 31st minute.
It came at an inopportune time for the U.S. as McKenzie had just put the ball in the net a few minutes earlier, though offsides ruled it out. Turkey then dominated possession until halftime, but didn’t score.
The USMNT’s lack of backup quality was evident at the interval, as only Trusty and some flashes of Berhalter stood out among players not named McKennie. Pepi didn’t get involved enough and the wing creation lacked due to the wrong profiles operating there.
But the Stars and Stripes got on the board next — and it was Berhalter.
In just the 49th minute, the U.S. had a long throw from the left flank. McKenzie put it in towards the goal, but it was cleared just outside the box. That’s where Berhalter came to meet it. And meet it he did, drilling it with technique beyond goalie Ugurcan Çakir.
Christian Pulisic then came off the bench for Weah on the left wing in the 58th minute, which uplifted the home crowd even more.
He immediately got involved near the box and even had some close efforts, one that grazed the post and another outside the box that just went wide.
It came down to the final minutes. There were seven added minutes of stoppage time, but the winning goal came beyond that.
The U.S. will now move onto the Round of 32, where it will meet Bosnia and Herzegovina next Wednesday at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. Kickoff time is set for 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET.
Turkey, meanwhile, will go home after losing its first two games to Australia and Paraguay.
How the U.S. responds to this partial setback, even if the result doesn’t matter, will be vital. Turkey didn’t attack much in the second half and relied on transition plays to build momentum. The U.S. backups were trying to earn more minutes down the line, but most failed to impress.
The main starters will be back for Bosnia, so the hope will be to stay as healthy as possible to truly embrace a deep run.
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