USA vs. Türkiye Match Preview | OneFootball

A very successful group stage for the USA men’s national team concludes on Thursday. It’s a breath of fresh air for the team and fans alike as there’s no pressure to get a result. The USA have already clinched top spot in Group D, while their opponents Türkiye are only playing for pride as they’ve been eliminated from the World Cup.

Match Details

Who: USA vs. TürkiyeWhat: World Cup Group DWhere: Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium), Inglewood, CaliforniaWhen: Thursday June 25, 10:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM PTWatch: FOX, Telemundo, Peacock ES, Fubo Sports

Fate Already Decided For Both Sides

It’s been a stark contrast of a World Cup for USA and Türkiye. The hosts have been fantastic, blowing away Paraguay 4-1 in their opening match before comfortably beating Australia 2-0 in Seattle. Those wins mean that the USMNT are locked into first place in Group D. They still await official confirmation, but there’s a 99% chance their opponent in the round of 32 will be Bosnia and Herzegovina after their 3-1 win over Qatar.

Meanwhile, Türkiye have had a tournament to forget. Seen as the group favorites by most of the world coming into this summer, they couldn’t find a way past Australia or Paraguay in 2-0 and 1-0 losses respectively. It’s been quite frankly an embarrassing display from this Turkish side and they’ll be hoping to end on a high note with a win over a rotated USA team, although they will remain bottom of the group regardless.

USA Looking For Historic Win

Although the result won’t mean anything, the USA will still be determined to stay perfect in their final group stage match. They have never won all three group stage games at a World Cup, so a victory over Türkiye would make history for this team. However, it will likely be a heavily rotated lineup.

Christian Pulisic is back in training and said that he’s ready to feature against Türkiye. He’ll probably be on a minutes restriction, so whether or not he’ll start is up in the air, but it will be good to see Captain America back in action ahead of the knockouts. Mauricio Pochettino still has not told the team who will start, but four key players are likely to be rested. Folarin Balogun, Tyler Adams, Chris Richards, and Antonee Robinson all picked up a yellow card in a previous match and would be suspended for the round of 32 if they received another in this game. Due to this, Poch would be wise to not play any of them.

The rotation provides the perfect opportunity for some new players to impress on the world stage. Auston Trusty came off the bench against Australia and could replace Robinson or Richards in the lineup. He’ll be looking to solidify himself as the first defender off the bench as the tournament progresses. Ricardo Pepi was a surprise starter last game and should start again in place of Balogun. He’s another player who could earn a bigger role in the knockouts if he impresses against Türkiye.

Türkiye Still Searching For First Goal

This World Cup has gone about as bad as possible for Türkiye. Coming into the summer as a potential dark horse, the star-studded attack sputtered. They are one of only three teams that haven’t scored a single goal yet despite boasting the likes of Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız in the front four.

Understandably, the reaction from Turkish fans has not been positive. A win against the USA would at least provide the fans and the team with a nice moment as they close out their tournament. It’s the best chance they’ll get with most of the USMNT stars playing limited roles. The main objective is to at least score a goal, but it won’t be easy. This USA team just kept a clean sheet against Australia and goalkeeper Matt Freese will be hoping to build more confidence moving into the later stages of the tournament.

To get a win, Türkiye’s biggest stars will need to shine. Arda Güler has not had the breakout World Cup that he would’ve hoped for and was subject to slander on social media after his team talk in the tunnel against Australia went viral. He’s done everything in his power to find a breakthrough, taking 11 shots and creating five chances across the first two games. Juventus wonderkid Kenan Yıldız has had similar struggles, also taking the game into his own hands but failing to find the end product. Güler scored against the USA last time they faced off, so he’ll be confident heading into this match.

Match Prediction

With the pressure off both nations, I anticipate a fun and high-scoring match. The USA backups will be eager to prove themselves to Pochettino and Türkiye’s stars will be determined to finally score their first goal of the tournament. I’m going for a draw with both teams getting on the scoresheet multiple times.

Prediction: USA 2-2 Türkiye