There might not be anything to play for in terms of Group D standings when the USA takes on Türkiye on Thursday – but that doesn’t mean this one is meaningless in terms of reps and lessons. That said, it’s a juggling act for Mauricio Pochettino to keep his guys fresh but not take any unnecessary risks.
If I were Poch, I’d be hesitant to play Christian Pulisic in this game. I get the idea of wanting to keep him sharp, but there’s more to lose than there is to gain. These players are already fit, so playing 90 minutes wouldn’t be a concern.
Instead, I expect we’ll see a rotated United States team with players starting who will be hopeful of making a positive impact in their first extended action of the tournament.
Here’s what I think we’ll see from the USA and Türkiye on Thursday night in Los Angeles.
What To Expect From The USA
I expect the USA to heavily rotate here. The guys who are one yellow card away from a suspension or carrying minor knocks are the ones who I especially do not expect to play.
You may see some of the other players who have been active so far in this tournament start before getting subbed off, before they play the entire 90 minutes. I’d expect to see guys who start but haven’t gotten much action in the tournament play close to the entire game.
What I’m not expecting is to see a less competitive United States team. The guys who haven’t gotten many minutes but will play are likely to want it even more than the ones who have been. This is their chance to get a start at the World Cup, and it’s their opportunity to show that they’re capable of stepping up during the knockout stage.
That will especially be the case in attack. We’ve seen early goals against Paraguay and Australia, so most of the USA’s minutes have been playing with a lead. If that doesn’t happen again and attacking changes need to be made in the knockout stage, I want to see who can step up.
We saw Ricardo Pepi get a start in place of Pulisic against Australia, but who will be the first name(s) off the bench when the USA might need a goal later in the tournament? Will it be Tim Weah or Alex Zendejas? Haji Wright? Brenden Aaronson? We don’t know yet.
The one attacking player who has made an impact is Gio Reyna, who scored the fourth goal against Paraguay after coming on in the 82nd minute.
What I’m most curious to see with Gio is how he is deployed. I thought he was going to start on the left wing in place of Pulisic against Australia, but Mauricio Pochettino opted for a second striker with Pepi instead.
Assuming Gio starts this game, is he on the wing? Is he playing as an “8” in more of a central role in midfield?
This will be a big opportunity for Reyna to show why he should be the go-to guy off the bench. I want to see him grind on both ends of the pitch and show why he thinks he should be starting.
What To Expect From Türkiye
Türkiye may be the most unlucky team in the World Cup and will feel hard done by entering this game. Of all the teams that are at the bottom of their group, especially the ones that have already been eliminated, the Turks are probably the most talented.
Türkiye had 62 shots in its first two games without scoring a goal. Against Australia in the opener, Türkiye faced a side that defended extremely well and happened to get an early goal. After that, the Aussies were able to sit back and defend in a low block that was really well-executed.
Then, against Paraguay, it was an even earlier goal that put Türkiye behind. Then, the Turks played against 10 men for 50 minutes but still couldn’t score.
When you look at Türkiye’s xGs (expected goals) and total number of shots, you’d be shocked that it lost both matches and didn’t even get a point from either. But, in reality, this team is going home after this game regardless of the result.
Conceding early has especially been tough for Türkiye. It makes for a weird game because the Turks have been in control, so there’s initially a sense of confidence that the goal will come. Then, as the game goes on, it gets more and more frustrating.
Arda Güler has been left frustrated by Türkiye’s lack of goals at this tournament. (Ercin Erturk/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Güler has a great ability to find the final pass or shoot effectively from distance. The surprising thing so far in this tournament is that he has not been efficient with either of those skills. Something has just been a little off.
You can tell when Güler gets on the ball, though, that he’s the player trying to make things happen. He gets on the ball, and the rest of the team perks up.
The other key attacker for Türkiye is winger Kenan Yildiz, who came on at halftime against Australia and played all 90 minutes against Paraguay. He’s a different type of player from Güler, one who thrives in one-on-one situations.
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