The U.S. men’s national team put out a lineup for Tuesday’s World Cup group finale against Turkey, and it looks nothing like the team that beat Ecuador and South Korea. Only two guys who started those matches are out there again: Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi.
Christian Pulisic is on the bench. That’s not a concern, though. He’s available as a sub if needed, and given the stakes (or lack thereof), it makes sense to keep him fresh.
What’s at stake here? Basically nothing.
The USMNT already locked up first place in Group D. They’re through to the knockout stage and already know they’ll face Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1 in San Francisco. So manager Mauricio Pochettino went with a rotated squad. No reason to burn out his best guys in a game that doesn’t change their path.
But that doesn’t mean this game is meaningless. If the U.S. wins, it’ll be three straight World Cup wins for the first time in program history. Ever. That’s a real milestone, even if Turkey is already eliminated.
The full starting XI for USA-Turkey
GK: Matt Turner
DEF: Auston Trusty, Miles Robinson, Mark McKenzie, Joe Scally
MID: Weston McKennie (captain), Sebastian Berhalter, Gio Reyna, Brenden Aaronson, Tim Weah
ST: Ricardo Pepi
The bench is deep: Tyler Adams, Max Arfsten, Chris Brady, Folarin Balogun, Sergino Dest, Alex Freeman, Matt Freese, Christian Pulisic, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Malik Tillman, Haji Wright, Alejandro Zendejas.
That’s a lot of firepower waiting to come in if things get tight.
Why this rotation isn’t a gamble
Pochettino went full Americana in his buildup to this one — he did the whole cowboy hat, flag-waving thing in training. But the actual decision-making here is cold and calculated. He’s protecting guys like Pulisic, Adams, and Dest while giving minutes to players who haven’t seen much action yet.
The USMNT’s best World Cup finish was way back in 1930, when they won their first two group matches and went straight to the semifinals. In the modern era, the high-water mark was the 2002 quarterfinals. No U.S. team has ever won three group-stage games in a row at a World Cup. That could change Tuesday night.
Kickoff is set. We’ll see if the backups get the job done or if Pochettino has to call on his stars to close it out.
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