The USA game slipped away in the 96th minute, when Kaan Ayhan scored and Turkiye beat the USMNT 3-2 in Inglewood, Calif. The loss ended a late comeback and erased a chance to finish the World Cup group stage unbeaten, even though the USMNT still won the group.
Auston Trusty opens fast
Trusty put the USMNT ahead three minutes into the match, finishing Sebastian Berhalter’s corner kick. It was the kind of start that should have settled a heavily rotated side, but Turkiye answered quickly and kept the match open.
Arda Guler scored in the 10th minute, and Orkan Kokcu added Turkiye’s second in the 31st minute. By halftime, the USMNT had already given up two first-half goals, and the early lead had turned into a chase.
Christian Pulisic returns
Christian Pulisic returned from injury and created multiple chances, giving the USMNT a sharper edge going forward. Sebastian Berhalter then brought the match level in the 49th minute, finishing a move that briefly restored control after the interval.
That equalizer was the reset the USMNT needed. Mauricio Pochettino’s side had nine new starters, and the structure held just long enough to recover from the first-half damage before the late winner changed the result again.
Turkiye had failed to score on its first 62 shots of the tournament before this match, but that run ended in the same game that decided the USMNT’s group-stage finish. The margin also left Trusty hobbling late with an apparent ankle injury, which added one more concern to a result that had already turned on the final action.
Mauricio Pochettino’s rotation
The bigger read for the USMNT is simple: the group is won, but the unbeaten path is gone. The team reached knockout rounds with a loss on the board, and the late swing leaves Pochettino weighing the same attacking positives against Trusty’s condition and the value of minutes for Pulisic after his return.
Usa Game Today now carries the sharpest possible lesson for the knockout rounds: a rotated lineup can create chances and still lose control in one sequence. If Trusty’s ankle issue lingers, that late scramble in Inglewood may end up mattering more than the scoreline suggests.
