INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The words “dead rubber” and “World Cup” are not supposed to go together, the stakes never higher than a game at the world’s biggest sporting event. That is exactly what awaits the U.S. men’s national team and Turkiye, though, each team’s fate already sealed days before they close out group play on Thursday at SoFi Stadium.The World Cup co-hosts won Group D on Friday, the combination of their 2-0 win over Australia and Turkiye’s 1-0 defeat to Paraguay enough to seal the deal and mathematically eliminate Turkiye in the process. The contrasts in mood are so noticeable that it was whiplash-inducing – Turkiye head coach Vincenzo Montella used his pre-match press conference on Wednesday to defend his work, to the point that he stated, “I will not surrender.” Less than an hour later and in the very same chair, USMNT counterpart Mauricio Pochettino was doing birthday shoutouts to U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner, World Cup winner Lionel Messi, Los Angeles Lakers head coach J.J. Reddick and Argentine legend Juan Roman Riquelme.
Pochettino also did have some actual news to share. Christian Pulisic is available for selection after recovering from a short-term calf issue but the players on yellow cards – Tyler Adams, Folarin Balgoun, Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson – will not start in an attempt to avoid suspensions for their round of 32 game on July 1. Rotation is on the cards for the USMNT and with it a chance to prove how strong their depth is and with that comes a chance for Turkiye to make a point of their own. Montella and his players have made the argument that their results, which included a 2-0 loss to Australia on June 13, were a bit harsh.
“The expectations were really high for us,” midfielder Kenan Yildiz stated on Wednesday. “We went out early but I think it was not in a bad way, to be honest. [In] two games, we were – like I stated before — the better team. I think in the statistics we were, in a lot of places, first place. We had the most shots, the most – I don’t know – duels in the area of the other team so I think both games, we did good. We did our best. That shows also [in] the statistics but how it is in football, statistics don’t win the games so at the end, they scored and we didn’t and that’s why we went out.”
Montella went several steps further, opening his section of the press conference with a minutes-long monologue defending the team’s performance and not-so-subtly pleading to stay in a job he very well may lose in a matter of days.
“We actually tried to aim [at] the target 62 times,” Montella stated. “We had been first in actions near the opponent’s penalty area, 590 times. We were the first in successful actions near the opponent’s penalty area, 341 times. We were first in entries into the opponent’s half, 171. We were first in the entries in the final attacking quarter, 143. We were second in average possession behind Spain. We were second in entries into the opponent’s penalty area behind Canada. We were second in progressive open play passes behind Spain. Then we were third for chances that we created. Now, football is a sport where we need to score. I know that … but we went close to scoring.”
Against a rotated U.S. team that will be without its most talented center back in Richards and its midfield anchor in Adams, at least at the start, Turkiye will have the chance to prove they were hard done by to some degree. Montella’s list of statistics, though, failed to address the elephant in the room – the quality of their shots was abhorrent. For all the work they did to be in and around the opponents’ box, they averaged just 0.057 expected goals per shot. Turkiye’s players misfired like it was their jobs, the gaggle of shots increasingly comical as time wore on in their matches. Turkiye’s team boasts plenty of talent, Yildiz among them while Real Madrid’s Arda Guler remains their headliner. It has not actually genuinely translated at the World Cup, the long wait until the next tournament now underway.
They could theoretically soft-launch their redemption arc on Thursday, especially against a U.S. team that only has one clean sheet since September. How likely it is against a home team in flying form, though, is a big question – and is likely the set-up for an intriguing, if meaningless, game.
How to watch Turkiye vs. USMNT
Date: Thursday, June 25 | Time: 10 p.m. ET
Location: SoFi Stadium — Inglewood, Calif.
TV: Fox (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Odds: Turkiye +290; Draw +320; USMNT -125
Turkiye vs. USMNT predicted starting lineups
Turkiye: Ugurcan Cakir, Mert Muldur, Merih Demiral, Ozan Kabak, Ferdi Kadıoglu, Salih Ozcan, Hakan Calhanoglu, Arda Guler, Baris Alper Yilmaz, Kerem Akturkoglu, Kenan Yildiz
USMNT: Matt Freese, Sergino Dest, Alex Freeman, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty, Max Arfsten, Sebastian Berhalter, Malik Tillman, Gio Reyna, Tim Weah, Ricardo Pepi
Keep up with the World Cup standings here!
Turkiye vs. USMNT pick, prediction
Turkiye will like their chances against a rotated version of the USMNT but the hosts have their own point to prove, hoping to become one of the teams to beat at this World Cup. Neither side will be particularly perfect considering the relatively low stakes but the U.S. team are in a good groove and that will not come to an end on Thursday. Pick: Turkiye 1, USMNT 2
Check out our World Cup expert predictions.
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