Sebastian Berhalter makes history as USMNT falls to Turkey 3-2

Kaan Ayhan’s 90+8th-minute winner sent Turkey past the United States 3-2 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, even as Sebastian Berhalter turned in the most productive night of his USMNT career. The midfielder set up one goal and scored another, becoming the first American on record in a FIFA World Cup match since 1966 to record both a goal and an assist in the same game.

The performance sharpened Berhalter’s case inside a U.S. setup that has spent the cycle sorting out who fits where. He entered the match with 11 international appearances and seven starts after debuting on June 11, 2025, against Switzerland in Nashville, Tennessee. His rise has also been marked by set-piece value, with two assists from dead balls during the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, a skill set that gives the United States another option in tight tournament games.

Against Turkey, Berhalter’s equalizer arrived only three minutes after Auston Trusty had opened the scoring, giving the United States a brief grip on a match that kept swinging. U.S. Soccer noted that Trusty’s strike was the second-fastest goal in USMNT World Cup history, a flash of early promise that was undone by a late Turkish finish. Arda Güler and Kaan Ayhan helped turn the night for Turkey, which found the decisive breakthrough deep in stoppage time.

The result closed the group stage with the United States on six points and into the round of 16, where Bosnia and Herzegovina awaited in Santa Clara, California. That progression preserved the tournament run, but it also left the U.S. with a familiar balance sheet: one player made a clear leap, while the collective again conceded control at key moments. Berhalter’s outing did not solve every question around the midfield and final-third rotation, but it gave the staff a stronger argument that his range, timing and delivery belong in the conversation for the next match and beyond.

There is also the family thread that has followed him through the tournament. Before the World Cup, Berhalter described seeing his father, Gregg Berhalter, at the event as a full-circle moment, and he spoke of a group intent on winning everything. On a night when the result fell short, Sebastian Berhalter’s name moved into the record book, and the depth chart around him got harder to ignore.