INGLEWOOD, Calif.— The U.S.
men’s national team entered Thursday’s match without any stress.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.With a place in the World Cup’s knockout round already secured as group winners, the only suspense hinged on whether star Christian Pulisic would return from a calf injury suffered in the opening game.
So the 3-2 loss to Turkey, decided by a scrappy goal in the final minute of stoppage time, marked the last moment in this tournament in which the U.S.could relax.
Now the team enters the do-or-die knockouts that will determine whether its hot start on home turf will be sustained, or remembered as a two-week outlier that fueled fleeting excitement.Add NBC News to GoogleCan Cape Verde keep its World Cup Cinderella story going?03:56The U.S.
will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 on July 1 in Santa Clara, California.The Bosnians finished third in Group B, behind Canada and Switzerland.“We’ll be ready,” said Sebastian Berhalter, whose strike in the 49th minute looked as though it had secured a tie until Turkey’s Kaan Ayhan fired between goalkeeper Matt Turner’s legs in the 98th minute.
Turkey's Kaan Ayhan scores the winner against the U.S.in Inglewood, Calif., on Thursday.Marcio J.
Sanchez / APThe loss, the U.S.’s first after earlier wins of 4-1 against Paraguay, and 2-0 against Australia, meant nothing in the group standings, which the U.S.had already topped entering Thursday.
Turkey, meanwhile, had already been eliminated.That luxury afforded coach Mauricio Pochettino to rotate out nine starters to rest his regulars while giving seven players their first minutes of the tournament.
Players cast the experience gained as a positive.“He didn’t have to change nine to 10 guys, but he does because he believes in us, and that’s what you want as a coach,” midfielder Brendan Aaronson said.But in a positive sign for the U.S., the game did...