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Arda Güler’s slightest moment of genius created a victory for Turkey. It was the kind of play we expected from Christian Pulisic before midnight and we narrowly missed doing it again last night.
Pulisic almost pulled a rabbit out of his hat on several occasions, creating a few late chances for the United States. He looked extremely sharp and dangerous every time he touched the ball. This was one of the positive points for the United States in the second half, during which we came back into the match against a good team.
What’s important to know after this match that saw nine changes from the starting lineup against Australia last week: If the United States repeats what it did in its first two matches against Paraguay and Australia with its best lineup, it will beat Bosnia-Herzegovina.
While the loss is disappointing, it doesn’t take away from the fact that this team earned its first Group D appearance with one game to play, broke the record for most goals scored by a U.S. team in the World Cup group stage and is now preparing for its round of 16 matchup.
Now let’s move on to my player ratings for this one:
Turner conceded three goals on the night. I can’t necessarily point the finger at all of them, but that’s the highest mark I can give you on a night where we conceded three goals in a loss.
Matt Turner wasn’t at fault on any of the goals, but Türkiye still beat him three times. (Dave Bernal/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Rating · 5
Rating · 5
Turkey’s three goals were not long shots. They were all goals that crossed the penalty area.
I thought McKenzie and Robinson could have done better on all three goals, whether it was cutting the play higher up the field or defending in the six or 18 yard box. Although both had good moments on the ball and made some plays late defensively, it was a tricky night and both could have done better on the goals conceded.
Miles Robinson (right) and Mark McKenzie were not at their best against Turkey. (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Rating · 6
Auston had a mixed evening which started with the highlight of scoring the first goal, which he took very well.
I thought he defended well as a center back while playing out of position as a full back, but he had his own issues that night. It was hard to see him injuring his ankle late on, which made it more difficult for Türkiye to defend before the winner in stoppage time.
Coming into this game, we talked about guys who had an opportunity to really take advantage of those minutes and make a good impression. Scally absolutely falls into this category.
Scally had a difficult evening defending Türkiye’s attack on the right side of the US defense and was unable to capitalize on the opportunity.
Rating · 7
Weston was the best player on the field for the United States before Christian’s arrival in the second half. He was the only player to start all three matches for the United States, and one would expect other players to feed off that and his energy.
McKennie was an influence throughout the game and it was clear he was the starter for this group in midfield.
Rating · 7
I thought he was hit or miss in the first half. He had some positive moments, but the early yellow card slowed him down a bit. In the second half, he played an important role in the United States’ resurgence and was very influential.
Sebastian is going to get a higher rating because he had two big moments in this match. Especially at this stage of the tournament, goals and assists are so valuable.
He got the corner that allowed Trusty to open the scoring before firing an impressive shot into the net to tie the game at 2-2 early in the second.
Rating · 5
I was excited to see Gio get more minutes and really take control of the game. I wanted to see him decisive, especially higher up the pitch.
It looked like he was floating in and out of the game. We know his abilities and know he can be a deciding factor going forward. I didn’t see it systematically against Turkey.
When he’s at his best, we know how dangerous Tim can be. He can use his pace to get behind the backline and directly take on defenders one-on-one.
It’s not a night he’ll remember fondly – and he’ll want to put it behind him.
One thing to consider is that he could have had a better night if he had played on the right side, where he potentially could have been more direct.
Timothy Weah was replaced in the 58th minute by Christian Pulisic, who looked good on his return from injury. (Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
I look at his performance similar to Weah. There were a few moments where he got the ball and looked really dangerous. He attacked the space left to him and looked to get behind the Turkish defense in the first half.
Ultimately, I want to see Brenden put a bigger imprint on the games. I view guys like him, Weah and Reyna as guys I want to pull the strings with in the final third and make things happen, so it’s not all about Pulisic when he’s on the pitch.
Rating · 5
Pepi made a few points behind the Turkish defense which perhaps could have turned into chances if his first touch had been a little sharper to get a shot off.
Overall, I’m not as concerned about Pepi still being connected to the play. As long as he’s in the right places at the right times to cause a defense problems, whether it’s creating his own shot in the penalty area or stretching the play higher up the pitch, he’ll be fine.
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Next meeting for the United States: Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 16.
