US loses group finale to Turkey but safely marches on to World Cup knockout stage

Despite suffering a 3-2 defeat against Turkey in their final Group D match, the United States Men's National Team is officially moving on to the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The loss at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, ultimately did little to disrupt the Americans' tournament trajectory.

Having already locked down their spot in the knockout stage following consecutive wins over Paraguay (4-1) and Australia (2-0), USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino utilized the final group match to heavily rotate his squad and give crucial tournament minutes to his second-string bench.

The experimental U.S. lineup couldn't have asked for a faster start.Just 134 seconds into the game, defender Auston Trusty found the back of the net to put the Americans ahead 1-0.

The strike marked the second-fastest goal scored by a U.S. player in World Cup history.

Auston Trusty got the match off to a good start with the first goal in a matter of seconds (Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

However, Turkey—despite already being out of knockout stage contention—fought back aggressively.

Golden boy Arda Güler equalized in the 10th minute, followed by a Barış Alper Yılmaz strike in the 31st minute to hand Turkey a 2-1 lead going into the break.

The U.S. responded swiftly in the second half when midfielder Sebastian Berhalter leveled the scoreline at 2-2 in the 49th minute.

Looking to secure a win, Pochettino subbed on star winger Christian Pulisic in the 57th minute to a roaring ovation.

Pulisic, who sat out the previous match with a minor calf injury, injected immediate energy into the attack, violently rattling the goalpost on a dynamic run just minutes after entering.

The deadlock was dramatically broken deep into stoppage time.In the 98th minute, Turkey's Kaan Ayhan slipped past the fatigued U.S. backline to bury the game-winner, ending the match 3-2.

Turkey celebrates after scoring the winning goal (Dave Bernal/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

While the loss put a minor dent in their perfect group-stage record, the USMNT still finishes at the top of Group D.Winning two group matches in a single World Cup tournament remains a historic feat for the program, with 1930 and 2002 being the only other times the U.S. men have accomplished it.

The team's focus now completely shifts to the single-elimination knockout rounds, where it is officially win or go home.

The U.S. men will travel to San Francisco, California, to open the Round of 32 on Wednesday, July 1, where they are scheduled to square off against Bosnia and Herzegovina.If they advance past the opening knockout test, a path to the Round of 16 in Seattle awaits them on July 6.