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The smallest moment of brilliance from Arda Güler created a victory for Türkiye. It was the kind of game we’d expect Christian Pulisic to deliver before .
Pulisic almost pulled a rabbit out of the hat a couple of times and created a few chances late for the US. He looked extremely sharp and dangerous every time he got on the ball. That was one of the positives from the USA in the second half, where we got back into the game against a good team.
What’s important to know after this game, which saw nine changes from the starting lineup against Australia last week: If the USA repeats what it did in its first two games against Paraguay and Australia with its best XI, it will beat Bosnia and Herzegovina.
While the loss is disappointing, it shouldn’t take away from the fact that this team clinched the first game in Group D with a game to spare, broke the record for most goals scored by a U.S. team in the World Cup group stage and now prepares for its match in the round of 16.
Now for my player ratings for this one:
Turner allowed three goals last night. I can’t necessarily point the finger at him for all of them, but this is the highest rating I can give you on a night where we concede three goals in a loss.
Matt Turner was not at fault for either goal, but Türkiye still beat him three times. (Dave Bernal/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Rating · 5
Rating · 5
All three goals from Türkiye were not shots from distance. They were all goals that came across the six-yard box.
I felt both McKenzie and Robinson could have done better on all three goals, whether it was cutting up play higher up the pitch or defending in the six or 18 yard box. Although both had some good moments on the ball and made some late plays defensively, it was a difficult night and both could have done better on the goals conceded.
Miles Robinson (right) and Mark McKenzie were not at their best against Türkiye. (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Rating · 6
Auston had a mixed night, starting with the high of scoring the opening goal, which he took very well.
I thought he defended well as a centre-back playing out of position as a full-back, but he had his own problems on the night. Hard to see him pick up the ankle injury late on which made it harder to defend Türkiye before the stoppage time winner.
Going into this game, we talked about guys who had an opportunity to really take advantage of those minutes and make an impact. Scally definitely fits into that category.
Scally had a tough night defending Türkiye’s attack on the right side of the USA defense and was unable to capitalize on that opportunity.
Rating · 7
Weston was the best player on the field for the USA before Christian came on in the second half. He was the only player to start all three games for the USA and you would expect other players to feed off that and his energy.
McKennie was influential throughout the match and it was clear that he was a starter for this group in midfield.
Rating · 7
I thought he was hit or miss in the first half. He had some positive moments but the early yellow card slowed him down a bit. In the second half, he was a big part of the USA’s resurgence and was very influential.
Sebastian is going to get a higher rating because he delivered two big moments in this game. Especially at this stage of the tournament, goals and assists are so valuable.
He had the corner kick that got Trusty to open the scoring before ripping an impressive shot into the net to level the game at 2-2 early in the second.
Rating · 5
I was excited to see Gio get more minutes and really take control of the game. I would like to see him be decisive, especially higher up the pitch.
It looked like he was floating in and out of the game. We know his abilities and that he can be a decisive factor going forward. I didn’t see it consistently against Türkiye.
At his best, we know how dangerous Tim can be. He can use his pace to get in behind the backline and be direct in taking on defenders one-on-one.
It was not a night he will look back on fondly – and he wants to put it behind him.
One thing to consider is that he could have had a better night had he played on the right where he could potentially have been more direct.
Timothy Weah was substituted in the 58th minute for Christian Pulisic, who looked good in his return from injury. (Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
I look at his performance similar to Weah’s. There were a few moments where he got on the ball and looked really dangerous. He attacked the space he was given and looked to get behind the Türkiye defense in the first half.
Ultimately, I want to see Brenden make a bigger impact on the game. I look at guys like him, Weah and Reyna as guys that I want to pull the strings in the final third and make things happen so it’s not all on Pulisic when he’s on the pitch.
Rating · 5
Pepi had a couple of runs in behind the Türkiye defense that might have turned into chances if his first touch was a little sharper to get a shot off.
In general, I’m not too worried about Pepi always being connected to the game. As long as he’s in the right places at the right time to cause problems for a defense, whether that’s creating his own shot in the 18-yard box or stretching the play further up the field, he’ll be fine.
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Next game for the USA: Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 16.
