INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- After starting the World Cup with two performances full of incredible verve and vibrancy, the United States finished its group stage Thursday with a showing that was erratic, inconsistent and ultimately dispiriting as the U.S. lost for the first time at this tournament -- beaten on the final kick of the game when Turkiye substitute Kaan Ayhan scored during a scramble in front of the goal.
Fans might reasonably say that Türkiye's 3-2 win matters little because the U.S. fielded a team full of reserves and because the group's larger fate was already determined after beating Paraguay and Australia in its two previous games. The U.S. knew before kickoff that, whatever happened, it would face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32 on Wednesday in Santa Clara, California.
The U.S. presumably will do so with Christian Pulisic, who entered just before the hour and played with familiar pace and power. Though the U.S. succeeded in his absence, there is no question that the Americans are far better with their incisive attacker.
Pulisic did not seem limited by the left calf injury that forced him out of the opening match at halftime and left him on the bench for the second game.
When a long ball was lofted diagonally in his direction, he judged that the Turkish defender couldn't reach it and accelerated into its path, pushing it forward and whizzing into the area where he smashed a shot off the post. Moments later, Pulisic had another chance that forced Ugurcan Çakir into a sharp save. With 15 minutes to go, Pulisic lashed a left-footed attempt from distance -- even as he slipped -- that whistled wide.
It was everything the U.S. could have hoped to see from Pulisic, even if the result wasn't quite what it wanted.
"I felt healthy, I felt good, so it was really nice to be back with the team and get some minutes," Pulisic told Fox. "I felt good, I felt good with the ball. It was a tough way to end for us for sure, but at the end of the day, we win the group, and we just have to look forward to next week."
Even without significant stakes, the U.S. played to win. No U.S. men's team has won all three group games at a World Cup, and coach Mauricio Pochettino talked all week about the importance of momentum and pushing his players to keep fighting for another victory. When Auston Trusty, one of nine new starters, smashed home a sharp-angled shot off an arcing corner kick from Sebastian Berhalter in the third minute, the crowd of 70,492 exploded, and it looked as though the U.S. was off and running again.
Only this time, it didn't last. Türkiye, which many thought would top this group but was eliminated early after two drab losses in which it didn't score, didn't fold. Instead, it looked to relish the possibility of bringing one of this tournament's host countries down a notch.
Star midfielder Arda Güler finished a move in which Mark McKenzie seemed to get lost twice on the same play to tie the score in the 10th minute. Joe Scally was beaten badly down the wing about 20 minutes later by Eren Elmali, who crossed to Orkun Kökçü as Türkiye took the lead.
Would the half have looked different if Tim Ream and Chris Richards were in the middle of the back line? Almost surely. The same might be said if the attack had Folarin Balogun, Pulisic and Malik Tillman. But rest and the avoidance of yellow cards -- particularly for Balogun, Tyler Adams, Richards and Antonee Robinson, who would be suspended a game if cautioned once more in this phase -- were paramount, so the regular starters had the night off.
The U.S. bounced back early in the second half. Berhalter smashed a gorgeous half-volley from just outside the penalty area that beat the Turkish goalkeeper at the near post, and the U.S. controlled much of the possession. But there was no breakthrough for either side until Ayhan seized the moment just before the final whistle to send the U.S. to defeat.
Tie or loss, though: The preliminaries are over. Bigger tasks lie ahead.
"We're going to prepare as best we can," Pulisic said. "We're going to be ready once that game comes to give everything that we've got, we're going to lay it all out there.
"Whether we won or lost, doesn't change. We have to go into the next game with the same mentality. We have to win that game, knockout round, and it's time to step up when it matters."
