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The United States men’s national soccer team lost its final Group D match to Türkiye, 3-2, as Kaan Ayhan scored on the final shot of the game in a crushing blow to the home country.
The only, and more important, caveat: this game never affected the United States’ chances of winning the FIFA World Cup in the first place.
Yes, Team USA was trying to take momentum into the round of 32 next week, and even make history for the country as the first team to win three World Cup matches. Instead, it’s some slight heartbreak in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Türkiye, who has had a lackluster tournament, will go home on a high note as they celebrated their hard-fought win against a USMNT squad that saw nine changes to the starting XI from head coach Mauricio Pochettino to keep players fresh for next week.
The crowd was shaking during the national anthem, but all of Inglewood, Calif. likely felt the moment Auston Trusty hammered in a corner kick from Sebastian Berhalter just three minutes into the match against Türkiye.
Trusty hit a dead sprint to the U.S. bench, while the sold-out crowd at Los Angeles Stadium was in rapture.
But Türkiye, despite having no chance of moving forward in the tournament, was not going out lightly with this match. Only seven minutes later, Arda Güler, the 21-year-old who stars for Real Madrid, took advantage of some soft U.S. coverage and buried a ball past Matt Turner, taking over for Matt Freese in net, to tie the game at one apiece.
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It was a physical match moving forward, with the U.S. showing that this game still meant something, as they were searching for history as the only team to ever win three World Cup matches. Meanwhile, Türkiye was playing for pride, and it was written all over their faces.
It was Türkiye breaking through the tie first, though, as Orkun Kökçü had a clean look right in front of the goal thanks to solid passing around the U.S. box. He tapped it in and the crowd quieted a bit.
The first half ended with Türkiye out in front, but if there’s one way to get the crowd going in the second half, it’s seeing “Captain America” finally back on the pitch. Christian Pulisic played just 45 minutes in this World Cup due to a left calf injury, missing the entirety of the match against Australia.
But Pulisic said he felt 100% prior to the match, and instead of letting him sit out until the round of 32, Pochettino thought it smart to give him time. He immediately made an impact, forcing Türkiye back into their defensive zone, and that ultimately led to a moment where a throw-in led to a pinball that landed at Berhalter’s foot.
Berhalter hit a low strike, and through traffic, the ball scurried past the Türkiye keeper for the equalizer at two apiece. Once again, it was just three minutes into the half, and all the momentum fell back on the home country.
Both teams tried their best to break the tie once more, with Pulisic having the best chance with a left-footed strike that just went outside the left post. However, Ayhan’s heroic slide to kick the ball in the back of the U.S. net is how this one ended just before the final whistle.
The USMNT will play their round of 32 match on July 1 at 8 p.m. in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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