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United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino brushed aside concerns after his side suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Turkiye in their final FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match, insisting that finishing top of the group was always the team's primary objective.
Already assured of a place in the Round of 32, the United States made nine changes to their starting XI but were denied a positive finish when Kaan Ayhan scored a dramatic 98th-minute winner to hand already-eliminated Turkiye a memorable victory. Despite the defeat, the hosts advanced as Group D winners and will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara on Wednesday. "At the moment, no one congratulated us for finishing first in our group," Pochettino told reporters after the match, according to Reuters. "I congratulate the players, the staff and the fans on finishing first in a very difficult group." The Argentine admitted he was surprised that the focus remained on the defeat rather than his side securing top spot. "Our objective was to finish first, and we finished first," he said. "I'm so positive, and I'm happy. Your questions are a little bit weird." The United States made a flying start when defender Auston Trusty headed home Sebastian Berhalter's corner in the third minute. Turkiye responded quickly through Arda Guler, who equalised in the 10th minute after combining with Baris Yilmaz. The Real Madrid midfielder also became Turkiye's youngest-ever World Cup goalscorer with his first strike in the tournament. Orkun Kokcu then completed the turnaround in the 31st minute after being set up by Eren Elmali to give Turkiye a 2-1 lead at the break. The hosts levelled almost immediately after halftime as Berhalter unleashed a powerful long-range effort in the 48th minute. Pochettino introduced senior players, including Christian Pulisic, in search of a winner, but it was Turkiye who had the final say as Ayhan bundled home in the eighth minute of stoppage time to secure victory. Guler was named Player of the Match for his influential display. Pochettino, however, said the result should be viewed in the context of a match where qualification scenarios had already been decided. "Whenever a team has already qualified, and another team has already been knocked out, so many situations come into play," he added. The former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain manager also took encouragement from the performances of several players making their World Cup debuts. "We are a much better team now than before," he said. "We qualified as number one, and we went to the next round. I need to remind you that we won the group." While Turkiye bowed out of the tournament with a morale-boosting victory, the United States progressed to the knockout stage after topping Group D. The hosts also reached another milestone, scoring eight goals in the tournament -- their highest tally in a single World Cup campaign, surpassing their previous best returns from the 1930 and 2002 editions. (ANI)
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