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The United States men’s national team walked off the field at Los Angeles Stadium Thursday night with its first blemish of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but not much else changed.
A dramatic 3-2 loss to Türkiye denied the Americans a perfect group-stage record when Kaan Ayhan scored on the final kick of the match in the eighth minute of stoppage time. But for a U.S. team that had already secured first place in Group D and a spot in the Round of 32, the objectives entering the night went beyond simply collecting three more points.
Avoid injuries and red cards. If Mauricio Pochettino’s squad was able to accomplish that, they could officially turn their attention toward the knockout round.
Mission accomplished.
The ongoing debate before Thursday night’s final group-stage match centered on how important momentum would be for the USA. A third consecutive win would have sent the USA into the knockout stage unbeaten, but the team’s starting lineup made it clear that preserving a healthy, available roster was the priority. Pochettino ran out nine new starters in the match, including eight players making their first World Cup starts.
The new-look lineup nearly delivered a victory if it weren’t for Türkiye’s late goal, which literally came on the last kick of the ball.
According to FOX Sports soccer analyst Zlatan Ibrahimović, the outcome should not alter the way the World Cup is viewed by the USA.
“It doesn’t matter because now starts the real deal against Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Ibrahimović said. “This game was more about putting those legs that haven’t played so far and getting them some minutes. The result will not change anything.”
Perhaps the most encouraging development came in the second half when captain Christian Pulisic entered in the 58th minute. The American star had not played since suffering a calf injury during the first half of the tournament opener against Paraguay, but he looked sharp and healthy in his return.
“When he’s on the field, anything can happen for the U.S. team,” FOX Sports’ lead soccer analyst Thierry Henry said.
Henry viewed Thursday’s result as a win in just about every way outside the final score itself.
“Nobody got injured. Carry on the momentum. That’s the only thing they didn’t do because they didn’t win,” he said.
Now the focus shifts entirely to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which finished third in Group B after drawing against Canada, losing heavily to Switzerland and closing group play with a 3-1 victory over Qatar.
For the USA, the mission was always survive and advance. Pochettino’s team did exactly that, winning Group D and reaching the knockout round with its most important player healthy and available.
“You’re going through. You won the group. That was the aim. That was the goal,” Henry said. “Now perform against Bosnia, and we’ll see what can happen.”
