Turkey Salvages Pride With Late 3-2 Win Over United States

The United States, which had already secured first place in Group D and a place in the round of 32, finished the group stage on a sour note with a 3-2 loss to Turkey at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The match was played before 70,492 fans, overnight between Thursday and Friday, and Mauricio Pochettino used a heavily rotated lineup.

The Americans started fast. In the third minute, Auston Trusty escaped his marker after a corner and scored his first goal for the national team, the second-fastest goal by the United States in World Cup history. Turkey, still looking for its first goal of the tournament, answered quickly through Arda Guler, who finished from close range. Orkun Kokcu then completed the turnaround in the 31st minute after a sharp team move, less than a minute after a Weston McKennie goal was ruled out for offside.

Pochettino had left Christian Pulisic on the bench, along with several players who were carrying yellow cards, but the United States equalized immediately after halftime. In the 49th minute, Sebastian Berhalter punished a poor Turkish clearance with a powerful shot from the edge of the box for his first international goal. Pulisic came on in the 58th minute to loud applause in his first appearance since he was injured in the opener against Paraguay. He nearly sparked a comeback, including a shot that Ougurcan Cakir pushed onto the post, but the Americans could not find a third goal.

Turkey struck in stoppage time, with Kaan Ayhan scoring in the 98th minute to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory. It was Turkey’s first and only win of the tournament after losses to Australia and Paraguay. The United States suffered its first defeat of the home World Cup but still finished top of the group and will face Bosnia in California on July 2. The knockout stage begins on June 28.