The slightest moment of brilliance from Arda Güler created a win for Türkiye. It was the kind of play we would expect from Christian Pulisic deliver before 00 and narrowly missed doing it again last night.
Pulisic almost pulled a rabbit out of his hat a few times, creating a few chances late for the USA. He looked extremely sharp and dangerous every time he got on the ball. That was one of the positives from the USA in the second half, during which we got back into the game against a good team.
What’s important to know after this match, which saw nine changes from the starting lineup against Australia last week: if the USA replicates what it did in its first two games against Paraguay and Australia with its best XI, it will beat Bosnia and Herzegovina.
While the loss is disappointing, it should not take away from the fact that this team secured first play in Group D with a game to spare, broke the record for most goals scored by a USA team in the World Cup group stage and is now preparing for its game in the round of 32.
Now onto my player ratings for this one:
Rating · 4.5
Turner conceded three goals on the night. I can’t necessarily point the finger at him for all of them, but this is the highest rating I can give you on a night when we concede three goals in a loss.
Matt Turner wasn’t at fault for any of the goals, but Türkiye still beat him three times. (Dave Bernal/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Rating · 5
Rating · 5
All three goals from Türkiye weren’t shots from distance. They were all goals that came across the six-yard box.
I felt both McKenzie and Robinson could have done better on all three goals, whether it was cutting up play higher up the field or defending in the six- or 18-yard box. While both had some 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 that were conceded.
Miles Robinson (right) and Mark McKenzie weren’t at their best against Türkiye. (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Rating · 4.5
I’m looking at his performance similar to Weah’s. There were a couple of moments when he got on the ball and looked really dangerous. He was attacking the space given to him and looked to get behind the Türkiye defense in the first half.
Ultimately, I want to see Brenden put a bigger stamp on games. I’m looking at guys like him, Weah and Reyna as guys who I want to pull strings in the final third and make things happen so it’s not all on Pulisic when he’s on the pitch.
Rating · 5
Pepi had a couple of runs in behind the Türkiye defense that maybe could have turned into chances if his first touch was a little sharper to get a shot off.
Overall, I’m not as concerned about Pepi always being connected to the game. As long as he’s in the right places at the right time to cause problems for a defense, whether that’s creating his own shot in the 18-yard box or stretching the game further up the pitch, he’ll be fine.
Next up for the USA: Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32.
