Late Türkiye goal hands USMNT first group-stage defeat

Türkiye defeated the United States men’s national team 3-2 at SoFi Stadium, with Kaan Ayhan scoring the decisive goal in the final moments. The result ended the USMNT’s unbeaten group-stage run, though the Americans had already secured first place in Group D.

Mauricio Pochettino used the match to assess squad depth after two opening wins, and the U.S. still found positives. Auston Trusty scored early from a corner, while Sebastian Berhalter later produced a long-range equalizer and was assessed as the strongest U.S. starter in ESPN’s ratings.

The concern came at the back. ESPN’s report gave Matt Turner and Mark McKenzie 3/10 ratings, while Joe Scally was marked at 4/10, reflecting a night in which defensive positioning and late-game organization were major talking points.

Christian Pulisic returned from the bench and was rated 7/10, offering attacking threat after entering for Timothy Weah. For editors, the key angle is whether this loss is best framed as a useful depth test before the knockout round or as a warning sign about defensive reliability.