U.S. Soccer's Pochettino Faces Setback Against Turkey

Mauricio Pochettino has spent 18 months kicking at American soccer convention. On Thursday night, convention kicked back.

With qualification already secured and top spot in the group within reach, the U.S. coach spun the roulette wheel one more time, making nine changes to his starting XI against Turkey. It had worked before. It didn’t this time. Deep into stoppage time, with the last meaningful touch of their World Cup, Turkey snatched a 3-2 win through Kaan Ayhan and ripped away the Americans’ unbeaten record.

The defeat stung. The stakes, on paper, did not. The U.S. had already booked a place in the knockout rounds. But Pochettino has been building more than a points tally at this home World Cup; he’s been building belief. And belief is fragile.

Rotation, records and a late sting

From the opening whistle, the gamble looked inspired. Auston Trusty, a surprise starter, needed less than three minutes to justify his inclusion. Sebastian Berhalter, making his first World Cup start, whipped in a long, teasing corner from the right. Trusty killed it with his first touch, then lashed a left-footed drive from the edge of the six-yard box inside the near post, past Ugurcan Cakir.

Second-fastest U.S. goal in World Cup history. Pochettino’s bench was grinning. The crowd roared. For a moment, it felt like another routine night.

Turkey had other ideas.

Just seven minutes later, Arda Guler slipped away from Mark McKenzie at the top of the box, gliding into space as Kenan Yildiz threaded a pass to the penalty spot. Guler, all poise and timing, lifted a left-footed finish over Matt Turner. One shot faced, one goal conceded, and for the first time in this tournament, the U.S. had seen a lead vanish.

Turner’s second test went no better. In the 31st minute, Eren Elmali drove a low ball into the area and Orkun Kokcu darted to the edge of the six-yard box, redirecting it into the net. In a flash, the U.S. went from cruising at 1-0 to chasing at 2-1 — their first deficit of the World Cup.

Turkey, already eliminated after two defeats and playing in their first World Cup since 2002, leaned into the role of spoiler. They were physical, edgy, and unbothered by the occasion. If they were going home, they were taking something with them.

Berhalter shines, but the door stays open

The U.S. clawed back early in the second half, again from a dead ball. A scramble in the box ended with the ball spilling out toward the top of the area, where Berhalter hovered in space. He didn’t snatch at it. He waited that extra heartbeat, stayed over the ball, and swept a right-footed shot just inside the near post.

“The ball just popped out and I knew if I just stayed calm and just made a swing motion, that I had a chance,” he said. “You practice those a lot and to see that go in was awesome.”

A goal and an assist on his first World Cup start. On any other night, that’s a headline. On this one, it was a subplot.

The Americans kept pushing. Pochettino had already underlined his intent with his team sheet, but on 55 minutes he underlined it in bold. Christian Pulisic, who’d been nursing a left calf issue and hadn’t played since the opening half of the first game, stepped off the bench.

The effect was instant. Pulisic attacked the left flank with familiar menace, carving out three dangerous opportunities in quick succession. His presence changed the temperature of the match. Turkey, who had been comfortable clogging midfield and kicking at ankles, suddenly had to turn and run.

The U.S. couldn’t turn that surge into a lead. Missed chances linger in games like this. They did again.

Ayhan’s dagger and the bigger picture

As the clock bled into stoppage time, a draw felt like a fair, if frustrating, outcome. The U.S. had rotated heavily, Turkey had fought like a team with nothing left to lose, and both had traded punches.

Then came Ayhan.

In a frantic goalmouth scramble, the ball fell to the defender, hemmed in by three U.S. players. He didn’t panic. He forced it over the line, Turkey’s only win of the tournament sealed with the last act of their World Cup.

For the U.S., it was a gut punch. The group stage record closed at 2-1-0, the clean sweep gone in an instant.

“You can always take these things as fuel, having that moment in the last one where they score,” Brenden Aaronson said. “It’s tough. We wanted to walk away with no losses in the group stage. But it was still a fantastic group stage.

“Not worried whatsoever. We’re going to move on to the next one and be ready to go for Bosnia.”

Pochettino echoed that defiance. The objective, he insisted, had been met.

“The objective was to finish first and we are first,” he said. “Now it is the next stage and it is going to be a final. And we are ready. We are much better than before that game because we had players now with 90 minutes in their legs and performing and really to help if we need from the beginning or after from the bench.

“It’s all positive. And I am so positive and I am happy.”

He has reasons to cling to that view. His sweeping rotation set records: no American coach has ever made as many changes between World Cup games, and when Alejandro Zendejas came on in the 76th minute, he became the 23rd U.S. player to appear in this tournament — another mark in the book. Berhalter’s emergence, Trusty’s early strike, and valuable minutes for squad players all feed into a deeper, more flexible group.

“We know everyone’s ready to step up at any moment,” Berhalter said. “I think you saw that today. We let some moments get away from us, but I thought the performances overall were good.

“It’s every little kid’s dream across the United States of America to play in a home World Cup, and just in a World Cup in general. People made their debuts today, so congratulations everyone. This is what everybody looks forward to.”

The question now is whether those positives outweigh the cost of a late, needless bruise to the team’s aura. Momentum can be intangible, but players feel it. So do crowds. The U.S. opened with dominant wins over Paraguay and Australia; they leave the group stage with a last-gasp defeat ringing in their ears.

On Wednesday in Santa Clara, against Bosnia and Herzegovina, they’ll find out what that really means. The rotations are over. The experiments are done. Pochettino has his squad, his records, and his conviction.

Now he has to prove that this bump in the road was just that — and not the moment the journey started to veer off course.