USMNT's second string offers mixed bag in loss to Turkiye as Americans turn page to World Cup knockouts

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Few could fault U.S. men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino for being as obvious as possible with his heavily-rotated team for Thursday's game against Turkiye, even if it was a bit comical upon first glance. Then again, the concept of a dead rubber game at a World Cup, where the stakes are as high as they could ever be, is hilarious in its own right. It is fitting, then, that the USMNT's defense was also funny in its own right, a batch of mistakes ensuring the team would come out with a 3-2 defeat in a game that offered a strange pause to the upward momentum the tournament co-hosts had otherwise experienced.Things seemed to be off to a strong start when Auston Trusty, in his first World Cup start, notched his first World Cup goal just three minutes in.

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