Turkiye had not scored a single goal in this World Cup. Not against Australia. Not against Paraguay. Zero goals in 180 minutes of football, eliminated before they even arrived in Los Angeles.
They scored three against the United States.
Turkiye 3, USA 2. SoFi Stadium, Inglewood. Group D, Matchday 3.
The result does not change anything on paper. The USA is through to the Round of 32. The group is already won. But this performance - sloppy, passive, physically outmatched at times - was a flashing warning sign that cannot be ignored heading into the knockout stage.
Match Snapshot
| Category | Result |
|---|---|
| Final score | Turkiye 3, USA 2 |
| USA goals | Auston Trusty 3', Sebastian Berhalter 49' |
| Turkiye goals | Arda Guler 10', Baris Alper Yilmaz 31', Kaan Ayhan 90'+8 |
| Venue | SoFi Stadium, Inglewood |
| Group result | USA wins Group D despite the loss |
| Next match | USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, July 1 in Santa Clara |
How It Happened
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 3' | Auston Trusty - USA 1-0 |
| 10' | Arda Guler - 1-1 |
| 31' | Baris Alper Yilmaz - 1-2 Turkiye |
| 49' | Sebastian Berhalter - 2-2 |
| 90'+8' | Kaan Ayhan - 2-3 Turkiye |
The USA came out with purpose. Auston Trusty headed home in the 3rd minute off a set piece and it felt like the night might actually go smoothly. Seven minutes later, that optimism was gone.
Arda Guler - the Real Madrid midfielder we flagged in our preview as Turkiye's most dangerous player - answered in the 10th minute, drifting into space through a disorganized midfield and finding the corner. The rotated American lineup had no answer for him in the first half.
Baris Alper Yilmaz made it 2-1 in the 31st minute after Turkiye spent a long stretch physically bullying the USA's second-string midfield. The passing was sloppy. The press was inconsistent. Balls were given away cheaply in dangerous areas and Turkiye punished it.
Sebastian Berhalter pulled one back in the 49th minute to make it 2-2, another useful moment from a player who keeps taking his chances when they come. Christian Pulisic also returned from his calf issue and looked sharp in a 32-minute appearance, which may be the most important positive the USA can take from the night.
For a stretch in the second half, it looked like the USA might escape with a draw. Then Kaan Ayhan sent a dagger into the eighth minute of stoppage time to hand Turkiye a 3-2 win. Trusty's late injury left the Americans effectively down to 10 men on the decisive sequence, but the goal still landed as a deflating home-soil group-stage loss.
The Rotation Caveat - And Its Limits
Yes, this was a rotated squad. Robinson, Balogun, Richards, and Adams were all managed carefully, and rightfully so. You do not gamble those players in a dead rubber. The lineup that took the field against Turkiye was always going to look different, and that context matters.
But here is the thing: the players who stepped in still wear the crest. And conceding three goals to a team that arrived at SoFi Stadium without a single goal to its name - regardless of who is on the field - is not acceptable at a home World Cup. A professional squad at this level cannot be bullied and outworked by an already-eliminated side, rotation or not.
The Real Problem
The issues on display Thursday night are not entirely new. We have been watching them grow across the group stage.
The backline is vulnerable when opponents can pressure it. The midfield transitions break down under physical intensity. Passes that should be simple become giveaways when the press is on. Against Australia in Game 2, the second half was 30 minutes of hanging on. Against Turkiye, with a rotated squad, the dam finally broke.
The good news is that Balogun, Robinson, Richards, Adams, and the first-choice XI should be rested and ready to go. Pulisic is back on the field. Berhalter has shown he can contribute. The bad news is that the structural issues in this team do not disappear just because the starters are back.
Bosnia Awaits
The Round of 32 opponent is Bosnia and Herzegovina - a tough, physical European side that will not give the USA the space and time that Paraguay did in the opener. The match is scheduled for Wednesday, July 1 in Santa Clara at 8:00 PM ET. If the USMNT shows up with the same sloppy passing and passive pressing that defined Thursday's performance, it will be a short tournament.
The blueprint from the Paraguay and Australia wins is still there. Lock in defensively, build through the press, let Balogun run at defenders, and create chances through wide areas. That version of this team is good enough to advance deep in this tournament.
But the version on the field Thursday night is not. Pochettino knows it. The players know it. And now, in the best possible way - in a match that meant nothing in the standings - they have a very clear reminder of exactly what they cannot afford to bring into the knockout round.
The USA is through. The questions are real. Bosnia will find out which version shows up.
Follow every USMNT match and make your World Cup picks at Crystal Ball Picks.
