The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) will wrap up their World Cup 2026 group-stage campaign against Turkey at Los Angeles Stadium on Thursday. While the co-hosts have already made history by securing a place in the round of 32 with a game to spare, manager Mauricio Pochettino faces major selection headaches regarding injuries and suspension risks.
Following a convincing 2-0 victory over Australia, the Americans have locked up the top spot in Group D for the first time since 2010. Consequently, the fixture carries drastically different stakes for the two teams; Turkey has already been mathematically eliminated from knockout contention following back-to-back defeats against Australia and Paraguay.
With first place guaranteed, Pochettino’s primary concern centers on protecting key players ahead of the round of 32. Captain Christian Pulisic sat out the triumph over Australia due to a hamstring strain. While the AC Milan forward is just one goal shy of matching Eric Wynalda for fourth on the USA’s all-time scoring list, Pochettino must decide whether giving him minutes to shake off rust is worth risking a re-aggravation of the injury.
Furthermore, the USMNT has four crucial starters treading a disciplinary tightrope. Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards, and Antonee Robinson are all carrying yellow cards. A second booking for any of them against Turkey would trigger an automatic suspension for the knockout round.
Given these circumstances, widespread rotation is highly anticipated. If top-scorer Balogun is rested, Ricardo Pepi is expected to lead the line. This could open the door for secondary figures to make an impact, including Auston Trusty in central defense, Max Arfsten on the left, and a central midfield partnership of Cristian Roldan and Sebastian Berhalter.
Winger Timothy Weah is also in contention for his first start of the tournament, while Alejandro Zendejas could make history as the first Mexican-born player to feature for the USMNT in a World Cup this century.
For Turkey, the match represents a chance to exit the tournament with dignity under manager Vincenzo Montella. Despite their early elimination, Juventus midfielder Kenan Yildiz is expected to be available after recovering from a calf strain. Milestone opportunities also remain on the table for the Turkish side: captain Hakan Calhanoglu needs one goal to claim outright third place on the nation’s all-time scoring charts, while goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir is one clean sheet away from moving into fourth all-time for the country.
USA Predicted Starting Lineup: Freese; Scally, McKenzie, Trusty, Arfsten; Roldan, Berhalter; Weah, Reyna, Zendejas; Pepi.
Turkiye Predicted Starting Lineup: Cakir; Muldur, Demiral, Kabak, Kadioglu; Ozcan, Calhanoglu; Akgun, Guler, Yildiz; Gul
