USMNT faces Turkey in final group-stage tuneup before knockout round

The USMNT took on Türkiye at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on Thursday night with Group D already settled and the knockout bracket waiting on the other side. Kickoff was set for 10 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. PT, and the Americans were chasing a third consecutive World Cup victory, plus a fourth win over a UEFA opponent on the sport’s biggest stage.

The result still mattered. The United States had already clinched first place in Group D, while Türkiye had been eliminated after two group-stage losses. In a World Cup expanded to 48 teams for the first time, with 12 groups and a new Round of 32, the margin between a clean finish and a sloppy one can reshape the path forward. The Group D winner was scheduled to move on to a Round of 32 match on July 1 at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, while the runner-up would head to Dallas Stadium on July 3.

That bracket pressure gave the match the feel of a final test before the games begin to carry elimination weight. A convincing performance would have suggested that the United States had tightened its defensive shape, found more consistency in front of goal and built enough depth to survive the compressed schedule ahead. A shaky one would have reopened questions about how much margin the Americans really had once the tournament moved into single-elimination play.

Türkiye offered a legitimate measuring stick despite its elimination. FIFA and U.S. Soccer listed the side at No. 32 in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Rankings, and the team reached the quarterfinals at Euro 2024 before earning promotion to UEFA Nations League League A. The United States and Türkiye had met five times before, with the series tied 2-2-1, and every meeting had been decided by one goal or less, including a 1-1 draw in Istanbul in 1991 and later 2-1 results.

It was also the first World Cup meeting between the nations, another reminder that the knockout phase would bring a different level of scrutiny. Fans in the United States were able to watch on FOX in English and on Telemundo and Peacock in Spanish, while U.S. Soccer also staged a pre-match concert and watch party in Venice Beach.