Orkun Kökçü puts Türkiye ahead 2-1 against United States

Orkun Kökçü put Türkiye ahead 2-1 over the United States in the 31st minute at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California, turning a fast-moving Group D match into a first-half momentum shift. The finish capped a composed collective move and left Matt Turner beaten as Türkiye seized control after a frantic opening 10 minutes.

The sequence exposed how quickly the United States could be pulled apart when Türkiye attacked with coordination rather than speed alone. Auston Trusty had given the hosts a 1-0 lead in the third minute, but Arda Güler answered in the 10th to make it 1-1 and score Türkiye’s first goal of its 2026 World Cup campaign. Kökçü’s goal followed 21 minutes later, and it came from a clean attacking passage that found space in front of the American goal and ended with a right-footed finish. Reuters described it as Türkiye’s second goal past Turner, while TSN identified it as the goal that gave Türkiye a 2-1 lead in the first half.

The broader picture was as important as the scoreline. This was the final group-stage match for both teams in a section that also included Paraguay and Australia, and Türkiye’s response after conceding early showed a side able to settle the game and force the United States into recovery mode. Trusty’s early header or strike, Güler’s quick equalizer and Kökçü’s finish created a sequence that belonged to Türkiye’s attack, but it also underlined the Americans’ vulnerability when pressed by an organized opponent. By the time Kökçü scored in the 31st minute, the match had already moved away from a simple home advantage narrative and into a test of whether the United States could keep its shape against a more settled, more connected buildup.