The United States is through. The group is won. The stakes for Thursday night could not be more different depending on which side of the field you are on.
For Turkiye, June 25 at SoFi Stadium is a chance at salvaging something - a goal, a win, some dignity after going scoreless across two straight losses. For the USA, it is a final tune-up before the knockout round begins, a chance to get healthy, and the biggest Pulisic question of the tournament.
USMNT vs. Turkiye. Group D, Matchday 3. Thursday, June 25 | 10:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM PT | SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California.
Match Snapshot
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Match | USA vs Turkiye |
| Competition | 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D |
| Date / time | Thursday, June 25, 10:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM PT |
| Venue | SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California |
| USA status | Group D winner, already through to Round of 32 |
| Turkiye status | Eliminated, 0 points, 0 goals |
| Pulisic status | Close to full fitness after calf injury |
| Key concern | Rotation, yellow cards, and knockout-round health |
The Situation
The USA enters this match having clinched the top spot in Group D with two wins and six points. They do not need anything from this game to advance, and the group is already theirs. What matters now is momentum, fitness, yellow-card management, and getting the right players ready for the Round of 32.
Turkiye enters having been eliminated. Two losses, zero goals, zero points. They beat Georgia in a qualifying playoff to get here and ran into two teams - Australia and Paraguay - who simply outworked them. They are not here to play for pride in some abstract sense. They are playing for their fans, their federation, and for individual players who may be making their last World Cup appearance.
That combination - a USA team with nothing to lose and everything to manage, and a Turkiye team with nothing to lose and everything to gain - makes for an unpredictable match.
The Pulisic Question
This is the only storyline that truly matters for the American side.
Christian Pulisic exited the Paraguay opener at halftime with a calf issue, then missed the Australia match entirely. The offense has found ways without him - Balogun has been outstanding, Freeman scored his first World Cup goal, Pepi added a physical presence - but this team is a different proposition with Pulisic healthy.
Thursday is the moment to find out. Pulisic has rejoined training and sounds close to full fitness, but the question is how much Pochettino wants to risk before the knockout round. If there is any scenario in which he can play 30 to 60 minutes in a lower-stakes environment and shake off the rust before the Round of 32, this is it. SoFi Stadium is essentially his backyard. The crowd will be electric for it.
Pochettino will not tip his hand early. He rarely does. But if Pulisic is available and the medical staff clears him, expect him on the field Thursday night - either from the start or off the bench in the second half.
Rotation Is Coming, and Yellow Cards Make It Easy
Pochettino does not have to agonize over this. The decision is practically made for him.
Tyler Adams, Antonee Robinson, Folarin Balogun, and Chris Richards are all players the USA should be careful with before the knockout round. Balogun, Robinson, and Richards picked up yellow cards against Australia, and Adams is another core player whose minutes are worth managing. In the 2026 World Cup format, two yellow cards in the tournament mean a one-match suspension, with group-stage yellows expiring after the group stage. There is no reason to gamble with a key player's availability in a match that cannot change first place.
That is not a small thing. Robinson has been one of the best left backs in the tournament. Balogun has been the best player on the field for the USA in both matches. Richards has anchored a back line that just earned a clean sheet against Australia. Resting them against Turkiye is the right call, but it means Thursday's lineup will look very different from what we have seen so far.
This is an opportunity for other players to make their case. Gio Reyna, Ricardo Pepi, Tim Weah, Josh Sargent, Luca de la Torre, and Cade Cowell could all see meaningful minutes. Cristian Roldan's fitness is worth monitoring, too. The starting lineup against Turkiye could be almost unrecognizable compared to the Paraguay and Australia games.
The key is to come out of Thursday healthy and with zero additional suspension problems. That is it. Everything else is secondary.
What Turkiye Will Try to Do
Turkiye did not score in either of its first two matches. That is not a coincidence - it reflects a side that struggled to create consistent chances against two physically organized defenses. But a team with nothing to lose is a dangerous team.
Expect Turkiye to be aggressive from the first whistle. Its pride is on the line, and it has the attacking personnel to cause problems if the USA takes the foot off the gas. Arda Guler, Real Madrid's young midfielder, has the quality to exploit a rotated or complacent American midfield. If Pochettino rests too many starters too early, Turkiye could make the first half uncomfortable.
The USA's backline held against Australia, but the second half of that match was a warning. A high defensive line against a team willing to run at it is a vulnerability. Turkiye will probe it.
Keys for the USA
Keep it clean. A clean sheet going into the knockout round does good things for the defensive unit's confidence. After the second half against Australia, the backline could use a steadying performance.
Get Pulisic minutes if he is ready. Even 30 minutes off the bench in a controlled match does more for his tournament rhythm than another few days of rehab.
Protect the yellow cards. Adams, Robinson, Balogun, and Richards are too important to risk. A disciplined performance matters more than three points here.
Prediction
USA 2, Turkiye 0.
Turkiye will be motivated, but the quality gap is real. The USA manages the match smartly, Pulisic makes an appearance if cleared, and the Americans head into the knockout round with momentum, health, and a clean sheet.
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