06/26/26 12:58:00
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06/26 00:57 CDT Pochettino annoyed by perceived disappointment after US
finishes group play with 3-2 loss to Turkey
Pochettino annoyed by perceived disappointment after US finishes group play
with 3-2 loss to Turkey
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) --- The United States only wanted to get through its
final World Cup group stage match Thursday night without an injury or a red
card, while Turkey was playing for a face-saving victory to end a dismal
tournament.
Both teams got what they wanted most out of their meaningless meeting before
the Americans head on to the knockout stage --- and coach Mauricio Pochettino
was annoyed by any suggestion that the Americans' last-gasp, 3-2 defeat said
anything negative about the state of his team.
Kaan Ayhan scored on the final kick of the match to send Turkey past the U.S.
in the eighth minute of stoppage time for its only win of the World Cup.
The result was meaningless to the Americans, who will meet Bosnia-Herzegovina
in the Round of 32 on Wednesday. Pochettino sent out nine new starters,
including eight who were starting a World Cup match for the first time.
The U.S. tied it early in the second half on a goal by Sebastian Berhalter, and
the Americans got within a few seconds of an unbeaten run through the group
stage. But in his postgame news conference, Pochettino expressed his annoyance
with what he perceived as disappointment in the result.
"For you not say congratulations that we won the group, that is a little bit
sad," Pochettino told reporters.
"What we need to remember is we won first place in this group," Pochettino
added while speaking in Spanish and English. "We ended up being No. 1, and we
managed all the pressure and the expectations quite well. We had other
priorities. We wanted to win. We did want the victory, but there are other
things we needed to balance out, and that's how I made the decisions. ...
Making history is winning the World Cup, not just winning the group. It's a
little bit petty, if you will. You're thinking just a little bit too small."
Auston Trusty scored in the third minute for the Americans, who beat Paraguay
and Australia by a combined 6-1 to book their place in the knockouts.
Pochettino fielded nearly an entirely new lineup for this low-stakes game,
notably resting all four key players who picked up yellow cards earlier in the
tournament.
Christian Pulisic entered in the 58th minute, however. The AC Milan midfielder
hadn't played since the first half of the Americans' opener due to a calf
injury, and he was involved in a couple of early scoring chances before getting
beaten on the wing on Turkey's winning goal.
"We could have done better on some defensive plays, but it happens," said
Brenden Aaronson, one of nine new starters chosen by Pochettino for the group
finale.
"You make (nine) changes, and the team might not be used to as the guys that
have been playing," Aaronson added. "It showed the hustle, the aggressiveness
of the team. I think it's a positive, because Turkey is a top team. They might
have not performed their best throughout this tournament, but their quality is
on the pitch and you can see it."
Berhalter said he doesn't believe the Americans lost any momentum from this
close defeat.
"You saw the second half, how we came out," said Berhalter, who tied it in the
49th minute by running on to a loose ball about 20 yards out for a vicious
strike. "I think we deserved more out of that game. We slipped in the last
second of the game. ... We gave everything we had, and we'll be ready for the
knockouts. The guys did well. We fought. Unfortunate not to get a result, but
we'll be ready for sure."
Arda Gler and Orkun Kk scored in the first half of a resilient performance
by Turkey, which had already been eliminated after losing its first two matches
despite largely dominating both statistically.
Turkey improbably won in the eighth minute of stoppage time when Can Uzun got
the ball in space on the back post and pushed it past sprawling goalkeeper Matt
Turner to Ayhan, who slid to knock it home.
"I'm super-happy with how my players played tonight," Turkey coach Vincenzo
Montella said through an interpreter. "They showcased all of their skills, all
of their abilities, all of their character. Playing the way they played tonight
in an away match, against a very loud crowd, if they weren't as strong as they
are, they wouldn't have made it tonight.
"I'm really happy for the Turkish people. I can say that we can go back home
with our chin up."
Indeed, the game's meaninglessness didn't matter to the raucous sellout crowd
that packed SoFi Stadium. The American team's fan base has been energized by
its strong start to this home World Cup -- and this Los Angeles-area crowd was
still chanting and standing when Berhalter airmailed a long corner to Trusty,
who made the stadium shake when he banged it home inside the back post.
Trusty's goal was the Americans' seventh of the tournament, tying their scoring
record for any World Cup before knockout play even begins. It was also the
173rd goal of this tournament, breaking the record for the most combined goals
scored in a World Cup set in Qatar four years ago --- and doing it in four
fewer matches.
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/FIFA-World-Cup
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