USMNT Falls Late to Türkiye — But the Bigger Story Is Pochettino's Future

The USMNT's perfect start to its home World Cup is over — but not in a way that actually matters for their path forward, and it was overshadowed almost immediately by far bigger news about the man in charge.

Having already secured Group D with wins over Paraguay and Australia, Mauricio Pochettino used the dead-rubber finale against an already-eliminated Türkiye to stress-test his depth, making nine changes to the starting lineup and leaving Christian Pulisic on the bench until just after the hour mark. It nearly worked out perfectly. Auston Trusty opened the scoring in the third minute, finishing a Sebastian Berhalter corner from close range for his first-ever USMNT goal — the fifth-fastest opening goal by a U.S. team in World Cup history.

Türkiye answered through Arda Güler in the 10th minute, then Orkun Kökçü made it 2-1 in the 31st. Berhalter, on a brilliant individual night, leveled things in the 49th minute with a long-range strike, becoming the first USMNT player in the modern era to record a goal and an assist in the same World Cup match.

The U.S. held a 2-2 scoreline for nearly 40 minutes and looked the more likely winner before things unraveled late. After Trusty went down with an ankle injury and the U.S. had already used its substitutes, Türkiye worked a scrambling sequence in the box that ended with Kaan Ayhan poking home the winner in the 98th minute — the final kick of the match.

The loss doesn't change anything about USA's position: they finish top of Group D and now turn to a Round of 32 meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, July 1, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. It's the first time the U.S. has won its group stage since 2010.

The Bigger Story: Pochettino's Future

Hours before kickoff, ESPN and The Athletic reported that Pochettino and U.S. Soccer have held positive discussions about extending his contract through the 2030 World Cup in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. His current deal runs only through the end of this tournament. According to the reporting, U.S. Soccer floated the extension proposal before the World Cup even began, with both sides agreeing to table a final decision until after the tournament concludes.

Pochettino, hired in September 2024 following Gregg Berhalter's firing, previously managed Tottenham Hotspur (reaching the 2019 Champions League final), Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea. He's been linked to openings at Brentford and, more recently, AC Milan, who ultimately hired Ruben Amorim instead. Pochettino has said publicly that he's committed to finishing out the tournament before entertaining any decision on his future, win or lose.

History offers a note of caution for anyone assuming a second cycle is automatically a good idea: the last four USMNT coaches to get one — Berhalter, Bruce Arena, Jürgen Klinsmann, and Bob Bradley — all had disappointing second terms. For now, though, all eyes are on Santa Clara.