The USMNT missed a chance to make World Cup history in a dramatic 3-2 loss against Turkey.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team wrapped up Group D in frantic fashion on Thursday night, but will move on to the knockouts with a historic run in their sights.
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Auston Trusty scored early to set the tone for a starting 11 that featured nine changes, but Arda Guler hit back inside the opening 10 minutes to spark a turnaround in Los Angeles.
Sebastian Berhalter’s thumping effort looked to be enough to save a point for the US, only for substitute Kaan Ayhan to win it with the final kick of the game for Turkey.
The tournament co-hosts had already won their group before kick-off, thanks to victories against Paraguay and Australia earlier this month, which cranked football fever up to 11.
But Pochettino’s team missed a chance to became the first in US program history to win all three of their World Cup group games, and will no doubt be frustrated with how the game unfolded.
Trusty ensured it was the perfect start in Los Angeles, and smashed home at the back post from a corner delivered by Berhalter inside three minutes.
That goal was a milestone in itself, and was the 173rd scored this summer — the most in any edition of the competition.
Guler then beat Matt Turner with a composed finish at the other end, for the first goal of Turkey’s disappointing campaign that had seen them eliminated before kickoff.
The US found themselves behind on the 30-minute mark, when Orkun Kokcu swept home to cap a good team move.
Down 2-1 at halftime, Pochettino would have had some choice words for his players.
USMNT handed reality check against eliminated Turkey
So too did Fox pundits Alexi Lalas and Clint Dempsey.
“This group just got punched in the nose, let’s see what they’ve got,” Lalas, who won 96 caps for the USMNT, said at the break.
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“Mauricio Pochettino said that whatever group he puts out will perform. That group didn’t perform.”
Dempsey, one of the USMNT’s greatest ever World Cup players, branded the performance ‘not good enough.’
Having struggled in the first half, the US came flying out the blocks to start the second, and Berhalter unleashed a fantastic effort from outside the box to pull his country level in the 49th minute.
Chrisitan Pulisic, who missed the win against Australia through injury, made his return just before the hour mark.
With their talisman on the field, the US looked far more dangerous, and quickly started to create chances as they went in search of a winner.
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Pulisic hit the post minutes after coming on, and later curled an effort just wide of the post.
But despite his effort, the US were unable to find a late winner of their own, and instead conceded with the last kick of the game.
Can Uzun saw his effort at the back post cleared off line by Alex Freeman, but the ball rebounded to Ayhan, who tapped in.
With the final group game done, albeit in fairly frustrating fashion, Pochettino will turn his team’s full attention to the knockout phase.
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The US already know when they will next be in action, and who they will face.
Who does USMNT play next at the World Cup?
As Group D winners, they will play Bosnia and Herzegovina, the third-place finishers in Group B.
The game is set for Wednesday, July 1 at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco. Kick-off will be at 8pm ET.
Despite finishing their group with defeat, the US will be favorites to win that first knockout game and advance to the Round of 16 and beyond, with eyes on a historic run on home soil.
The nation hasn’t gone beyond the quarterfinals in modern history, and their best run since 1930 was to the last eight in 2002.
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