Khan Ayhan in the final rites; Turkey beats USA 3-2 – Pulisic performance gives confidence ahead of knockout stage
Mauricio Pochettino's USA lost 2–3 to Turkey in the World Cup 2026 group stage final. After Aston Trusty's dramatic opening goal at 2:14, Turkey took the lead through Arta Guler and Orkun Kaksu. Sebastian Berhalder equalized in the second half and Khan Ayhan scored the winning goal in the final whistle. Christian Pulisic, returning from a 13-day leg injury, created several chances and hit the post; The U.S. will next face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara on Wednesday.
Mexico is the only host nation in the North American Commonwealth of Nations (USA, Mexico, Canada) World Cup 2026 to be fully registered after three rounds. While the USA and Canada easily advanced to the last-32 round, the USA's last group game fell to Turkey 2–3 in the final moments. However, the knockout route is solid; The U.S. meets Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara next Wednesday.
Despite the 'dead rubber' that didn't change the outcome of the match (as head-to-head was the primary deciding factor in the group), the action was action-packed from the start. Mauricio Pochettino made nine changes to his starting line-up — the fourth most changes made by a single team from one match to the next in World Cup history. The US got it off to the perfect start: Celtic defender Aston Trusty's backhand push from the back gave them a goal at 2 minutes 14 seconds; Second-fastest opening goal in US World Cup history (next to Clint Dempsey's 30-second goal against Ghana in 2014).
But that lead didn't last long. Turkey, after suffering a goalless streak from 62 attempts in the first two rounds of the series, finally saw a happy moment. Real Madrid midfielder Arta Guler controlled a pass from Paris Albert Yilmaz and beat United States substitute keeper Mattu Turner with a left-footed shot past the backline after a right-footed touch. 20 minutes later, it was Guler who started again, sending Eren Elmali into the box; His cut-back belonged to Besiktas player Orgun Kaksu; He pushed across and into the net. Seconds earlier America's Mark McKenzie had a goal disallowed for offside — a bitter twist.
Pochettino made no immediate changes after the break; That hope paid off. The set-piece fell to Sebastian Berhalter, who leveled with his right foot at the near post. After this, AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic, who has recovered from a 13-day leg problem, stepped up to the game. He immediately put Turkish keeper Ugursan Sakir to work; Brendan Aaronson then knocked the rebound home with a whiteout. Moments later Pulisic's deflection hit the post; Then the left leg flexed and the gray knuckle came out.
With chants of “America, America” echoing throughout the stadium, the final kick changed everything in a match that looked set to end in a tie. Artha Guler advances with a neat flick past Pulisic and passes to Khan Uzun; His cross was tapped in by substitute Khan Ayhan to earn Turkey a 3–2 victory.
For Turkey, who had already been eliminated by the double defeats of Australia and Paraguay, this final victory was a consolation with a longing of 'what happened?' Although they ended the American tour with a smile, it doesn't hide the feeling that it was a missed opportunity. Despite this disappointing last-minute punch for the US, Pochettino's main goals of finishing the round without injury or suspension and getting Pulisic back into the game were all accomplished. More importantly, the 'Momentum' track has not deviated. How far is the next leg of the journey for this team moving to the West Coast? The answer comes next Wednesday in Santa Clara against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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