Pochettino rotates heavily, USA fall 3–2 to Türkiye but top Group D

Your team lost but topped the group anyway

Türkiye 3–2 USA on Thursday night, and you still finished top of Group D (3). Arda Güler scored for Türkiye, Auston Trusty and Sebastian Berhalter found the net for your side, and Baris Alper Yilmaz got on the scoresheet too (3). Kaan Ayhan also featured in a match that meant nothing for the standings but plenty for the players fighting for knockout-stage minutes.

Pochettino made nine changes and Pulisic returned

The boss rotated almost the entire lineup, and Christian Pulisic came off the bench after missing the Australia match with a calf issue (2) (4). The second string showed a mixed bag, which is the kindest way to put it (2). The depth question is real, and Thursday's lineup gave Pochettino answers he may not have wanted.

Pochettino: "We were naive"

Mauricio Pochettino did not sugarcoat his first impressions of the USMNT job. "We were naive when we signed the contract. We underestimated the situation. What we found was worse than we expected," he said. "We thought people would be desperate to help, that everyone would be involved, eager to play for the national team. It was the complete opposite." Then the kicker: "We received a huge dose of reality. We said, 'What the hell…?'" (7)

Bosnia and Herzegovina await in San Francisco

The round of 32 is set. Your team plays Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1 in San Francisco. Win that, and the path reportedly opens up toward the semi-finals. Country Roads will be ringing out again.

Fan-reaktioner

Fans are already locked in on the Bosnia matchup. The round-of-32 announcement drew strong reactions, with supporters pointing to San Francisco as the venue and July 1 as the date. The mood is confident after topping the group, and the prospect of a deeper run has people buzzing.