USMNT makes significant lineup adjustments
The U.S. men’s national team manager, Mauricio Pochettino, has implemented nine changes to the starting lineup for the final group stage match against Türkiye. This marks the most adjustments a USA team has ever made between two World Cup matches, surpassing the previous record of five changes made between the Germany and Iran games in the 1998 tournament.
Midfielder Weston McKennie, who will captain the squad, and striker Ricardo Pepi are the only players retaining their starting positions from the 2-0 victory against Australia. These modifications are reportedly due to several factors.
Pochettino is resting four regular starters—midfielder Tyler Adams, striker Folarin Balogun, defender Chris Richards, and fullback Antonee “Jedi” Robinson—because they each have one yellow card. The manager aims to prevent them from accumulating a second yellow card, which would result in a suspension for the round of 32 match.
Additionally, the Americans have already secured their spot in the knockout round, providing an opportunity to introduce fresh players and give others a rest. Folarin Balogun will not start against Türkiye to avoid the risk of another yellow card.
Defenders Mark McKenzie and Miles Robinson are set to make their World Cup debuts, while forward Brenden Aaronson and goalkeeper Matt Turner will see their first minutes of this tournament. Cristian Roldan is unavailable due to a quadricep issue.
Goalkeeping decision and player status
A notable decision involves Matt Turner starting in goal over Matt Freese, who has 17 caps. While significant lineup changes were anticipated, it was widely thought that Pochettino might keep Freese in goal to gain more experience in a World Cup setting. Turner started all four matches for the U.S. in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but was replaced by Freese before last summer’s Gold Cup.
Another key question surrounding the match was whether star forward Christian Pulisic would play. Pulisic missed the 2-0 win over Australia due to a calf injury sustained in the 4-1 victory against Paraguay. On Wednesday, Pulisic stated he was feeling good and positive about potentially playing a part in the upcoming match.
In the 18th minute, Türkiye’s coaches and reserve players expressed dissatisfaction with referee Mustapha Ghorbal. Berhalter received a yellow card for a late tackle that resulted in a hard step on an ankle. Earlier, in the 13th minute, McKennie made a run down the right side, laying the ball back to Aaronson, whose initial shot was blocked, and the second attempt forced a save from Çakır.
Alper Yılmaz set up Real Madrid midfielder Güler, who scored past Matt Turner to equalize after a defensive mix-up between McKenzie and Robinson. Arda Güler, a 21-year-old Real Madrid midfielder, is listed with an estimated transfer value of $100m. This value is reportedly higher than the combined worth of the remaining nine players in the US starting XI, excluding Pepi ($30m) and Weah ($26m).
Match atmosphere and future opponent
The atmosphere at Los Angeles Stadium is described as boisterous, despite a perceived lack of tension, as the US team has already qualified as group winners. The crowd was heard singing the US national anthem, which played behind a canned instrumental version.
FIFA’s website has confirmed that regardless of the outcomes of tonight’s or future games, the United States’ opponent in the Round of 32 will be Bosnia and Herzegovina. Security is notably tight at the stadium, with Kamala Harris and Second Lady Usha Vance expected to be in attendance.
In the 7th minute, Alper Yılmaz collided with Scally as the US defender gained control of the ball. The USA maintained some possession, but Aaronson was cleanly tackled. Gio Reyna, making his first World Cup start, was involved in an attack on the right in the 15th minute, crossing the ball for a throw-in, which Weah then threw to a Turkish player.
Kenan Yıldız, a teammate of McKennie at Juventus, is listed with an estimated transfer value of $94m.
Read Also
Source: theguardian.com
