U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino was an agitated figure during his postmatch press conference on Thursday night, but not because of his team’s result.
The USMNT suffered a 3-2 loss to already-eliminated Turkey at SoFi Stadium in both team’s Group D finales, with the Americans conceding a 98th-minute winning goal to Kaan Ayhan. Despite Auston Trusty scoring a third-minute opening for the USMNT, Turkey used goals from Arda Guler and Orkan Kokcu to grab a 2-1 lead before halftime.
Sebastian Berhalter’s sensational strike early after halftime tied the match at 2-2 but Vincenzo Montella’s squad grabbed a late winner to hand the USMNT a first defeat of the summer’s competition.
Fortunately the USMNT had already sealed clinched top spot in Group D prior to Thursday’s match, providing Pochettino the opportunity to make nine changes in his starting lineup and rest four key starters on yellow cards (Chris Richards, Folarin Balogun, Tyler Adams, and Antonee Robinson). However, the mood and questions that surfaced about the USMNT’s performance and result in Pochettino’s postmatch press conference left the Argentine reminding media members of who is advancing in the World Cup and who isn’t
“The mood is like we [are heading] home tonight and Türkiye is staying,” Pochettino said. “I need to [remind] you and everyone that we won the group. Sorry guys, we won.”
The USMNT entered the match in unfamiliar territory, knowing they didn’t need a result from the match against Turkey. Pochettino stated during his press conferences earlier in the week that the Americans would chase a third-straight victory, regardless of which players featured in the match.
Thursday’s loss showed a lack of chemistry or even rust at times though for several of the USMNT players including Tim Weah, Ricardo Pepi, and Brenden Aaronson, who all endured one of their more quieter evenings on the international stage.
Pochettino stayed focused on the positives for his group, admitting that a perfect group stage record doesn’t matter if you are eliminated in the subsequent knockout stage match.
“Making history is winning the World Cup,” Pochettino said. “It’s not winning three matches only within the World Cup. I don’t really understand. It’s a little bit petty if you will, you’re thinking a little too small. You’re telling me you could make history, what does it mean to win three matches if you lose the next one?”
“What would you like me to tell you? Whatever I tell you, it’s not going to convince you,” he added. “A newspaper is going to write whatever they think or whatever they want. But honestly speaking, I go back to [this]: We qualified as No. 1 and we’re going to the next round.”
Up next for the USMNT is a do-or-die date with Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on July 1 in San Francisco. The Americans may have delivered one of their best group stage showings in program history, but now the focus turns to the knockout stage, knowing a slip-up could spell the end of their World Cup hopes.
Pochettino remains proud of his squad for topping Group D, confirming that they are ready for the stakes to be raised.
“Winning this game or not winning this game is not going to change [my mood],” Pochettino said. “The objective is to finish first. And we are first. And now is the next stage. We are ready.”