U.S. Men's National Team Wins Group D Despite Loss to Turkey
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The questions kept coming, sharp and skeptical. Mauricio Pochettino’s patience did not.
Minutes after his rotated U.S. men’s national team lost 3-2 to Turkey at SoFi Stadium, the head coach bristled at the tone in the room, snapped back, and walked out. Top of Group D, six points, best group-stage return in modern U.S. World Cup history — and he felt like he was being quizzed as if his team were heading for the airport.
“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,” Pochettino said, his voice tightening.
“I need to remind everyone we won the group, sorry guys, we won,” he added, then stood up and left, a cold exit that underlined his mood.
A dead rubber with a sting
On paper, this was the definition of a free hit. The U.S. had secured first place after two games. Pochettino responded by rotating almost his entire XI, protecting legs and wiping the slate clean of yellow-card jeopardy before the round of 32.
Only Ricardo Pepi and Weston McKennie kept their places from the win over Australia. Christian Pulisic, managing a calf issue after coming off at halftime against Paraguay, started on the bench. Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson — all one booking from suspension — never got off it. Their cautions vanish now that the group stage is over.
The game still carried an edge. Auston Trusty opened the scoring, only for Turkey to hit back and then seize control through a man-of-the-match display from Arda Guler, who scored and orchestrated most of his side’s best attacks. Sebastian Berhalter dragged the U.S. level early in the second half. The rotated group had done enough to salvage something.
Then came the gut punch.
With the clock deep into stoppage time, Guler glided through one more time, nutmegged Pulisic in the buildup and helped carve out the winner. The last kick of the game. A 3-2 defeat. A dead rubber that suddenly felt very much alive.
Pochettino’s response was blunt: context, not panic.
He repeated the same point throughout the press conference — this result changed nothing.
“I’m happy, maybe I’m not showing because your questions are a little bit weird,” he said. “But I’m happy, the players are happy because we are first. I’m confused, maybe the vibes are like we go home tonight and Turkey stays (in the World Cup), no?”
Rotation, risk and “momentum”
The late collapse inevitably raised the word coaches hate hearing before knockout football: momentum. Had the U.S. just handed away the feel-good factor of their opening two wins?
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.”
He even pointed to Germany’s defeat to Ecuador with a largely unchanged side as a counter-example.
“Germany lost momentum too and they played with (mostly) the same team,” he said.
For him, this night was about calculus, not aesthetics. Protect Adams. Protect Pulisic as much as possible. Keep Balogun, Richards, Robinson out of harm’s way. Get minutes into the legs of those on the fringes. Leave Santa Clara, where the round of 32 awaits, with a healthy, available squad.
The U.S. still finished with six points — matching the 1930 team’s group output, adjusted for the modern three-points-for-a-win system. Pochettino clearly felt that deserved a different tone than the one he faced.
In another exchange, when asked what lessons the team learned, he used the moment to drive his point home.
“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.”
Pulisic back, and dangerous
If there was one clear positive beyond the standings, it came in the 58th minute. Pulisic stripped off his bib, jogged to the touchline and stepped back into the tournament.
He replaced Tim Weah on the left and immediately lifted the tempo. His movement looked free, his touches sharp. He drove at defenders, demanded the ball, and — even in a game tilted by Turkey’s late winner — looked like the most dangerous 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.”
The only blemish on his cameo came in that final, cruel act: Guler sliding the ball through his legs in the buildup to the decisive goal. A small humiliation in a sequence that will sting, but the larger takeaway is clear — the U.S.’s star attacker is moving freely again just as the stakes rise.
Bosnia and Herzegovina await
Earlier on Thursday, the bracket locked into place. Bosnia and Herzegovina will stand across from the U.S. in Santa Clara next Wednesday in the round of 32. No yellow-card baggage. No doubt about who finished top of Group D. No hiding from the pressure now.
“We’re a much better team now than we were before,” Pochettino said. “That will be put to the test next game.”
The group is won. The coach is defiant. The margins are about to shrink.
