INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The U.S. national team’s dream World Cup had to hit a snag somewhere.
That it happened Thursday night after Mauricio Pochettino rolled out a side with nine of 11 starters rotated in an unconsequential group-stage finale is, at least, hard to get that worked up about.
Exactly what this 3-2 loss, courtesy of Kaan Ayhan’s winner, revealed is, mostly, that the USMNT’s depth — particularly in defense — is a serious hole, something most keen observers already suspected, and which, if everyone stays healthy, won’t come into play in the knockouts.
Still, it is deflating to cede a stoppage-time winner when things had been rolling along so well. Whether it affects what’s been an immaculate vibe in training ahead of next week’s Round of 32 showdown with Bosnia and Herzegovina — officially confirmed as the opponent about an hour before kickoff at SoFi Stadium — remains to be seen.
There are two big positives to come from the night. First, Christian Pulisic playing the final 32 minutes after coming on for Tim Weah was exactly what needed to happen before the knockout stages. Second, the team’s heart and fight after Sebastian Berhalter woke them up with a 49th-minute smash from 20 yards that tied the game 2-2 is nothing but commendable.
Pulisic’s impact, in a moment where the U.S. was already gaining momentum, was immediate. He was dynamic on the ball, creative and willing to take on defenders, functioning as a reminder of how unique his ability is to this team.
In choosing to keep only Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi from the starting 11 against Australia in Seattle, though, Pochettino will have been willing to take the risk of a loss in the name of a clean bill of health, whether he wants to admit it or not.
He went for three points late, though, bringing on starters Sergiño Dest and Alex Freeman along with Alex Zendejas in a bid for the winner.
That never did come; after the hydration break, Turkey looked the slightly more threatening side, though both had their chances.
Auston Trusty’s injury — which appeared to be to his ankle — with mere minutes to go put a damper on the night, and left the U.S. to finish out stoppage time with 10 men, having used all of their substitutions.
Doing that without ceding a winner proved an impossible ask. Trusty did come back for the final minute, but could only limp around as Turkey finally broke through, Kaan Ayhan scoring in the ninth minute of stoppage time and on the game’s final kick to secure a 3-2 win.
The four-man back line of Trusty, Miles Robinson, Mark McKenzie and Joe Scally looked totally out of its depth. McKenzie was caught flat-footed on Arda Güler’s 10th-minute strike; Scally never saw Orkun Kökçü running in behind him 21 minutes later to hand the Yanks their first deficit of the tournament.
Trusty, at least, put a goal on the board after 134 seconds, smashing the ball in after Berhalter pinged a corner to the far post right onto Trusty’s foot. With that goal three minutes in — following the seven and 11 minutes it took to score against Paraguay and Australia — it looked like the party would keep rolling. It didn’t.
Berhalter struggled defensively, getting booked early, but made up for it with the ball at his feet. Four minutes into the second half, he corked one from outside the box to tie the game 2-2.
Tim Weah, starting at left wing, struggled with his first touch and made a negative impact for much of the night. Gio Reyna dribbled into trouble; Brenden Aaronson and Pepi were hardly noticeable.
Turkey, motivated to bring at least some kind of result home after enduring white-hot criticism, offered a glimpse of what might have been.
The Americans, meanwhile, are still waiting to break a losing streak against European competition that has stretched nearly five years, all the way back to Dec. 18, 2021.
The team they beat that day, not too far from here in Carson, Calif.? Bosnia and Herzegovina.
