The U.S. men’s national team starting lineup is set to look a lot different for Thursday’s Group D finale against Turkey.
Key starters Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards, Tyler Adams, and Antonee Robinson all enter the dead rubber match at potential risk of suspension for the Round of 32 after all four players picked up yellow cards earlier in the group stage. Adams was booked in the 4-1 victory over Paraguay while Richards, Balogun, and Adams all received yellow cards in a 2-0 win over Australia.
Luckily for the USMNT, they’ve already sealed the top spot in the group heading into the match, giving head coach Mauricio Pochettino the opportunity to rest and rotate his squad. Pochettino kept it short and sweet when asked in Thursday’s press conference about whether or not his booked players will start.
“It’s unnecessary to take a risk, to pick up a yellow card for the next stage,” Pochettino said. “It’s a normal and easy answer.”
Pochettino may not risk Richards, Adams, Balogun, or Robinson at all in the match, opening the door for many others to earn crucial minutes.
Max Arfsten, Brenden Aaronson, Alex Zendejas, Miles Robinson, Cristian Roldan and Mark McKenzie are the six outfield players to not earn a single minute yet in the tournament, with Roldan’s status still undetermined due to a muscle strain. Several others such as Ricardo Pepi and Gio Reyna will want to build off of positive showings earlier in the group stage, knowing impactful performances could lead to larger roles in the knockout stage.
While Pochettino wants to have everyone available for the Round of 32, he also would like to keep the energy high in the squad.
“I need to be sure the team tomorrow want to eat the grass, play like it’s the final,” Pochettino said.
Revenge will surely be on the USMNT’s mind after losing 2-1 to Turkey last June in the buildup to the CONCACAF Gold Cup.