USMNT Loses to Turkey but Wins Group D — Pochettino's Take

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The questions kept coming. Mauricio Pochettino’s patience did not.

Moments after a rotated U.S. men’s national team lost 3-2 to Turkey with the last kick of the game at SoFi Stadium, the head coach bristled at the tone in the room, fired off a final reminder, and walked.

“I need to remind everyone we won the group, sorry guys, we won,” he said, pushing back his chair and heading for the door.

The defeat stung in the moment, but the table told a different story. The USMNT had already secured first place in Group D after two games, which gave Pochettino license to overhaul his XI for the group-stage finale. The result didn’t change their path. The mood around it clearly did.

A dead-rubber that refused to feel like one

On paper, this was a free hit. Top spot guaranteed. Key players wrapped in cotton wool. A cavernous NFL stadium hosting a World Cup match that, mathematically, meant nothing to the Americans.

On the grass, it turned into a wild, stretched contest decided in the eighth minute of stoppage time, when Turkey snatched victory with virtually the last touch.

Pochettino never stopped reminding anyone who would listen that the real work had already been done.

“It cannot be possible that Turkey celebrates three points, Australia celebrates getting through, Paraguay celebrates getting through… for you to not say congratulations for winning the group, it’s a little bit sad,” he said, his irritation barely disguised.

He circled back to the same point over and over: the U.S. had taken care of business early, and this was a calculated risk.

Rotation, risk and the ‘momentum’ debate

Only Ricardo Pepi and Weston McKennie kept their places from the win over Australia. Pepi again led the line in Christian Pulisic’s absence from the starting XI. McKennie worked 86 minutes before making way for Malik Tillman. Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson never left the bench, protected from yellow-card suspensions that would have carried into the round of 32.

The trade-off was obvious: rhythm versus rest. The questions came dressed in one word — momentum.

Pochettino bristled.

“Explain what you mean in momentum — I don’t understand,” he shot back. “To play with the same team we played against Australia to take a risk? To receive a yellow card (suspension)? To risk players who maybe have problems? I don’t understand. Germany lost momentum too and they played with (mostly) the same team (in their loss to Ecuador on Thursday).”

For him, the equation was simple. The U.S. had six points. They topped a “very difficult group.” The price was a chaotic, late defeat with a second-string side.

Guler shines, Trusty and Berhalter answer back

The game itself swung like a pendulum. Auston Trusty opened the scoring, a reward for a U.S. lineup full of players eager to impress on the World Cup stage. Turkey, driven by a brilliant Arda Guler performance, hit back and then took control of the key moments.

Guler scored, glided into pockets, and orchestrated Turkey’s best attacking moves. Every time he picked up the ball between the lines, the U.S. back line tensed.

Sebastian Berhalter dragged the Americans level early in the second half, a punchy response that briefly restored order. For a spell, the rotated side looked comfortable enough, managing the game, ticking down minutes.

Then came stoppage time. Then came the sting. Guler again at the heart of it, nutmegging Pulisic in the buildup and helping carve out the chance that broke U.S. resistance at the death.

Pulisic returns — and changes the temperature

For all the noise around the result, one moment of the night mattered more than the scoreline: the 58th-minute substitution board going up for Christian Pulisic.

The U.S. star, who had exited at halftime against Paraguay with a calf issue, stepped back into the World Cup with purpose. He replaced Tim Weah on the left and immediately shifted the energy of the attack. He moved freely, demanded the ball, drove at defenders. Within minutes, he looked like the sharpest American on the pitch.

“The objective was not just to win, but to get Christian 30-40 minutes,” Pochettino said. “He finished well and he made an impact on the pitch.”

For a staff planning for the knockout rounds, that was the night’s real victory. Pulisic came through his test. The four players walking the suspension tightrope emerged untouched. The core of the team will start the round of 32 on a clean slate.

A record group stage, and a manager on edge

Strip away the frustration of a stoppage-time defeat and the numbers are clear. With six points, this U.S. side matched the nation’s best-ever group-stage haul, equaling the 1930 team, albeit under a different points system when wins were worth two rather than three.

Pochettino wanted that context front and center. He didn’t feel it.

“No one congratulated us for finishing first in a very difficult group,” he said. “I congratulate the players, staff and fans. Now I’ll answer your question. You always learn when you are in a World Cup.”

His tone told its own story: a manager convinced his team has taken a step forward, annoyed that a dead-rubber defeat is dominating the narrative.

Bosnia and Herzegovina await

There is no time to dwell. Earlier on Thursday, the bracket locked in Bosnia and Herzegovina as the U.S. opponent in the round of 32. The game lands next Wednesday in Santa Clara, Calif. The stakes, this time, are unmistakable.

“We’re a much better team now than we were before,” Pochettino said. “That will be put to the test next game.”

Rotation is over. Yellow cards are wiped. Pulisic is back. The group winners have their edge — and, after a bruising night in Inglewood, they also have something to prove.