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The US men’s national team won Pool D, but ended pool play in failure. However, former American goalkeeper Brad Guzan doesn’t want fans to sound the alarm.
After the United States conceded a late goal in their 3-2 loss to Türkiye, Guzan is still optimistic about the Stars and Stripes heading into their round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Listen, all I was saying is there’s been a lot of talk, there’s been a lot of talk about this American team in the last two games,” Guzan said. “To all our new US fans. Everyone, calm down. Everyone, take a deep breath.”
According to Guzan, the United States began its reinforcements for the most part on Thursday night. Nine of the 11 players in their starting lineup made their first starts at the 2026 World Cup, with Matt Turner replacing Matt Freese in net. They also won the battle for possession (52-48), outshot Türkiye (18-9) and had more shots on goal (7-3). In addition to that, the United States had more touches in the rival area (37-24) than Türkiye.
Still, the loss could have exposed some US defensive vulnerabilities. FOX Sports’ Maurice Edu gave a rating of 5 or less to all four of the USA’s starting defensemen as the team allowed two goals early in the first half.
But Thursday’s loss changed nothing about the United States’ path in the knockout phase. They will still face Bosnia and Herzegovina after winning Group D, recording two wins in their first two matches and outscoring their opponents by five goals.
That’s why Guzan urged fans to keep an overview of the tournament instead of panicking over a single adverse result, emphasizing that the team’s internal confidence remains completely intact as they prepare for their next knockout opponent.
“We’re fine,” Guzan said. “We are going to the round of 32. This result tonight has not changed anything. We are still first in the group, we are still going to reach this round at a higher level.” [round of] “32 games against Bosnia with confidence, with conviction, get on board, stay on board and let’s take this to the final.”
