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The U.S. men’s national team walked off the field at Los Angeles Stadium Thursday night with its first blemish of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but not much else changed.
A dramatic 3-2 loss to Türkiye denied the Americans a perfect group play record when Kaan Ayhan scored on the last kick of the game in the eighth minute of stoppage time. But for an American team that had already secured first place in Group D and a spot in the Round of 32, the goals going into the night went beyond just picking up three more points.
Avoid injuries and red cards. If Mauricio Pochettino’s side were able to achieve that, they could officially turn their attention to the knockout round.
Mission accomplished.
The ongoing debate before Thursday night’s final group stage game centered on how important momentum would be for the United States. A third straight win would have sent the U.S. into the knockout stage undefeated, but the team’s starting lineup made it clear that maintaining a healthy, available roster was the priority. Pochettino ran out of nine new starters in the match, including eight players making their first World Cup start.
The new line-up almost produced a victory if it wasn’t for Türkiye’s late goal, which literally came on the last kick of the ball.
According to soccer analyst Zlatan Ibrahimović of FOX Sports, the result should not change the way the United States views the World Cup.
“It doesn’t matter, because now the real deal starts against Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Ibrahimović said. “This game was more about putting the legs that haven’t played so far and getting them some minutes. The result won’t change anything.”
Perhaps the most encouraging development came in the second half when captain Christian Pulisic came on in the 58th minute. The American star had not played since picking up a calf injury in the first half of the tournament opener against Paraguay, but he looked sharp and healthy in his return.
“When he’s on the field, anything can happen for the American team,” said FOX Sports’ lead soccer analyst Thierry Henry.
Christian Pulisic came on in the 58th minute of the USA’s loss to Türkiye after suffering a calf injury in the team’s World Cup opener against Paraguay. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Henry considered Thursday’s result a victory in almost every way outside of the final score itself.
“Nobody got hurt. Keep the momentum going. That’s the only thing they didn’t do because they didn’t win,” he said.
Now the focus shifts all the way to Bosnia and Herzegovina, who finished third in Group B after drawing with Canada, losing big to Switzerland and ending group play with a 3-1 win over Qatar.
For the US, the mission was always to survive and move forward. Pochettino’s side did just that, winning Group D and reaching the knockout round with its most important player healthy and available.
“You go through. You won the group. That was the goal. That was the goal,” Henry said. “Perform now against Bosnia and we will see what can happen.”
