USMNT reflects on Turkey setback after historic group-stage finish

Kaan Ayhan struck in the 98th minute and turned a resilient USMNT start into a 3-2 setback against Turkey at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California. Even after the defeat, the Americans finished first in Group D with six points, their best group-stage total in a World Cup, and moved on to the round of 32.

The loss did not erase the defiant tone inside the American camp. Players pointed back to the work that put them atop the group and treated the result as a test rather than a collapse, but the game also exposed how quickly control can slip when structure breaks down late. Auston Trusty put the U.S. ahead in the third minute, Sebastian Berhalter tied it in the second half at the 49th minute, and Turkey found a winner after the match had stretched deep into stoppage time.

Mauricio Pochettino made nine changes to the lineup from the 2-0 win over Australia, the largest single-match rotation between two World Cup games in USMNT history. The move came with first place already secured, yet the reshuffled side still had to manage a Turkey team that arrived already eliminated after losing its first two matches without scoring. Christian Pulisic returned as a second-half substitute after missing the previous match with an injury.

The opening goal came so early that it briefly suggested the Americans might cruise through the night. U.S. Soccer described Trusty’s strike as the second-fastest goal in USMNT World Cup history, and Berhalter’s equalizer kept the match from unraveling after Turkey responded. Berhalter also became the first USMNT player on record, dating to 1966, to finish a World Cup match with both a goal and an assist.

That production did not stop the late defensive lapse that decided the result. Turkey, which had gone winless and scoreless across its first two group games, punished the U.S. for one moment of lost concentration, with Kaan Ayhan finishing the chance that separated the sides.

The matchup had been tight long before kickoff. The U.S. and Turkey had met five times previously, with the series level at 2-2-1, and every one of those matches had been decided by one goal or less. This one fit the same pattern, even as the Americans left with a loss and a group title. Their next match is set for July 1 in Santa Clara, California, and the margin for error will shrink there.