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The United States men’s national team left the Los Angeles Stadium field 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 record in the group stage when Kaan Ayhan scored on the last kick of the game in the eighth minute of added time. But for an American team that had already clinched first place in Group D and a spot in the round of 32, the goals at the start of the night went beyond simply adding three more points.
Avoid injuries and red cards. If Mauricio Pochettino’s team were able to achieve this, they could officially turn their attention to the knockout round.
Mission accomplished.
The ongoing debate ahead of Thursday night’s final group stage game centered on how important the boost would be for the United States. A third consecutive victory would have sent the United States to the knockout stage undefeated, but the team’s starting lineup made it clear that the priority was preserving a healthy and available roster. Pochettino was without nine new starters in the match, including eight players making their first start in a World Cup.
The revamped lineup was on the verge of victory if it weren’t for Türkiye’s late goal, which literally came on the last shot of the ball.
According to FOX Sports soccer analyst Zlatan Ibrahimović, the result should not alter the way the United States views the World Cup.
“It doesn’t matter because now the real match against Bosnia and Herzegovina begins,” Ibrahimović said. “This game was more about getting those 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 suffering a calf injury during the first half of the tournament’s opener against Paraguay, but looked strong and healthy upon his return.
“When he’s on the field, anything can happen to the American team,” said Thierry Henry, FOX Sports’ senior soccer analyst.
Christian Pulisic took the field in the 58th minute of the United States’ loss to Türkiye after suffering a calf injury in the team’s first World Cup match against Paraguay. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP via Getty Images)
Henry considered Thursday’s result a victory in almost every way, aside from the final result.
“Nobody got hurt. Keep the momentum going. That’s the only thing they didn’t do because they didn’t win,” he said.
The focus is now entirely on Bosnia and Herzegovina, which finished third in Group B after drawing against Canada, losing heavily to Switzerland and closing out the group with a 3-1 win over Qatar.
For the United States, the mission was always to survive and advance. Pochettino’s team did exactly that, winning Group D and reaching the round of 16 with their most important player healthy and available.
“You’re passing. You won the group. That was the goal,” Henry said. “Now play against Bosnia and we’ll see what happens.”
