Loses to Turkey with first place in World Cup group already locked up | Chattanooga Times Free Press

The U.S. men’s soccer team and Turkey both treated their final 2026 World Cup Group D match as low-stakes, with the U.S. already advancing while Turkey sought only pride. The U.S. made nine changes at Inglewood, Calif., and Mauricio Pochettino insisted the 3-2 stoppage-time loss to Turkey did not reflect a negative state of the squad. Kaan Ayhan scored the decisive goal in the eighth minute of stoppage time, giving Turkey its only win of the tournament. The Americans secured first place in the group and will face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32 on Wednesday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Pochettino, speaking in Spanish and English, said attention should stay on winning the World Cup, not merely the group. Sebastian Berhalter and Auston Trusty scored for the U.S., and Christian Pulisic returned in the 58th minute after a calf injury.