Pochettino watches Turkey beat United States, team still tops group

Mauricio Pochettino watched the United States absorb a 3-2 loss to Türkiye at Los Ángeles Stadium in Inglewood, California, then leave the night with the one result that mattered most in the group table: first place in Group D and a berth in the next round. Kaan Ayhan’s goal in the 90+8 minute settled a match that swung from the opening whistle and exposed how thin the margin remains between control and chaos for a team still trying to sharpen itself before the knockout stage.

Auston Trusty put the U.S. ahead in the third minute, giving the home side the kind of start that should have settled nerves. Türkiye answered quickly through Arda Güler in the 10th minute and Barış Alper Yılmaz in the 31st, then Sebastian Berhalter levelled the match for the United States in the 49th. Ayhan’s late winner ended it at 3-2 and sent Türkiye home eliminated after three defeats, while the Americans moved on with six points from three group games.

That final score line matters because the United States had already secured first place before kickoff, after beating Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0. Pochettino had made clear before the match that Türkiye deserved “todo su respeto,” while also confirming that Christian Pulisic was available. He also signaled that Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams and Folarin Balogun were unlikely to play, since one more booking could have carried a suspension into the round of 32.

That calculation tells its own story. Pochettino, appointed in August 2024 with two years to prepare a team for a World Cup on home soil, was not managing this game in isolation. He was managing the next one too, with the U.S. due back on the field July 1 in Santa Clara, California, and the larger task of turning a group-stage winner into a team that can survive the demands of elimination soccer.

The loss to Türkiye did not alter the bracket position, but it did sharpen the questions around how much risk Pochettino is willing to take, and when. The United States still advanced exactly where it wanted to be, yet the final minutes in Inglewood showed how quickly a tournament can punish hesitation, even when the group standings already look secure.