The slightest moment of brilliance from Arda Güler created a win for Türkiye. It was the kind of play we would expect from Christian Pulisic deliver before 00 and narrowly missed doing it again last night.
Pulisic almost pulled a rabbit out of his hat a few times, creating a few chances late for the USA. He looked extremely sharp and dangerous every time he got on the ball. That was one of the positives from the USA in the second half, during which we got back into the game against a good team.
What’s important to know after this match, which saw nine changes from the starting lineup against Australia last week: if the USA replicates what it did in its first two games against Paraguay and Australia with its best XI, it will beat Bosnia and Herzegovina.
While the loss is disappointing, it should not take away from the fact that this team secured first play in Group D with a game to spare, broke the record for most goals scored by a USA team in the World Cup group stage and is now preparing for its game in the round of 32.
Now onto my player ratings for this one:
Turner conceded three goals on the night. I can’t necessarily point the finger at him for all of them, but this is the highest rating I can give you on a night when we concede three goals in a loss.
Matt Turner wasn’t at fault for any of the goals, but Türkiye still beat him three times. (Dave Bernal/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Rating · 5
Rating · 5
All three goals from Türkiye weren’t shots from distance. They were all goals that came across the six-yard box.
I felt both McKenzie and Robinson could have done better on all three goals, whether it was cutting up play higher up the field or defending in the six- or 18-yard box. While both had some good moments on the ball and made some plays late defensively, it was a tricky night and both could have done better on the goals that were conceded.
Miles Robinson (right) and Mark McKenzie weren’t at their best against Türkiye. (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Rating · 6
Auston had a mixed night that started with the high of scoring the opening goal, which he took really well.
I thought he defended well as a center back who was playing out of position as a fullback, but he had his own issues on the night. Difficult to see him pick up the ankle injury late, which made it tougher to defend Türkiye before the winner in stoppage time.
Entering this game, we talked about guys who had an opportunity to really take advantage of these minutes and make an impression. Scally absolutely fits into that category.
Scally had a tough night defending Türkiye’s attack on the right side of the USA defense and was unable to take that opportunity.
Rating · 7
Weston was the best player on the field for the USA before Christian came on in the second half. He was the only player who started all three games for the USA, and you’d expect other players would feed off that and his energy.
McKennie was influential throughout the match, and it was clear that he was a starter for this group in midfield.
Rating · 7
I thought he was hit or miss in the first half. He had some positive moments, but the early yellow card slowed him down a bit. In the second half, he was a big part of the USA’s resurgence and was very influential.
Sebastian is going to get a higher rating because he delivered two big moments in this game. Especially at this stage of the tournament, goals and assists are so valuable.
He had the corner kick that saw Trusty open the scoring before ripping an impressive shot into the net to tie the game at 2-2 early in the second.
Rating · 5
I was excited to see Gio get more minutes and really take control of the game. I wanted to see him be decisive, especially higher up the pitch.
It looked like he floated in and out of the game. We know his ability and that he can be a deciding factor going forward. I didn’t see it consistently against Türkiye.
When he is at his best, we know how dangerous Tim can be. He can use his pace to get in behind the back line and be direct in taking on defenders one-on-one.
This wasn’t a night that he will look back on fondly – and he will want to put it behind him.
One thing to consider is that he might have had a better night if he had played on the right-hand side, where he potentially could have been more direct.
Timothy Weah was substituted in the 58th minute for Christian Pulisic, who looked good in his return from injury. (Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
I’m looking at his performance similar to Weah’s. There were a couple of moments when he got on the ball and looked really dangerous. He was attacking the space given to him and looked to get behind the Türkiye defense in the first half.
Ultimately, I want to see Brenden put a bigger stamp on games. I’m looking at guys like him, Weah and Reyna as guys who I want to pull strings in the final third and make things happen so it’s not all on Pulisic when he’s on the pitch.
Rating · 5
Pepi had a couple of runs in behind the Türkiye defense that maybe could have turned into chances if his first touch was a little sharper to get a shot off.
Overall, I’m not as concerned about Pepi always being connected to the game. As long as he’s in the right places at the right time to cause problems for a defense, whether that’s creating his own shot in the 18-yard box or stretching the game further up the pitch, he’ll be fine.
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Next up for the USA: Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32.
