Turkey 3 USA 2: Kaan Ayhan scores dramatic winner in last kick of game to salvage World Cup pride
MAURICIO POCHETTINO had the luxury of rolling out a lineup full of backups for his matchup against Turkey after winning Group D in just two games.
And while they held their own in the meaningless matchup, the group of US subs certainly looked like a B team in the 3-2 defeat.
Off the rip the US backups looked to be just as efficient as their starting counterparts, as it only took them three minutes to get this one going.
The Americans won two corners in quick succession, and it was on the second that defender Auston Trusty was able to fire the ball near-side past the Turkish keeper to open the scoring.
It didn’t take long for Turkey to respond though, as some poor defense allowed Real Madrid’s Arda Guler to find himself one-on-one with backup keeper Matt Turner.
He scored his country’s first goal of the tournament on one of the easiest looks he’ll have in his career.
Turkey would expand on its lead in the 31st minute, with some more poor defense leaving the US exposed.
It was Orkun Kokcu who found the back of the net this time after some lovely buildup play saw midfielder Erener Elmali wrap around the US back line.
The Americans didn’t punch back until the second half, but they did so in style.
After a ball clattered around from a throw-in at the 49th minute, it found its way to the top of the box where Sebastian Berhalter hit it first time on a half-volley for a wonderful score.
The Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder was far and away the best player on the pitch for the US against Turkey, notching a goal and an assist on the night.
Despite the score to level things up, the American crowd was relatively tame — that was until Christian Pulisic’s No10 was flashed on the fourth official’s board to signal he was entering the game in replacement of Tim Weah.
Captain America’s presence immediately sparked life into his side, and he came just inches away from scoring in the 63rd minute.
Pochettino made another series of subs in the 76th minute, bringing Alex Freeman, Sergino Dest, and Alex Zendejas on for Joe Scally, Brendan Aaronson, and Gio Reyna.
But they were unable to lift the US to a late winner, with Turkey finding their own delight late on with a last-gasp tap-in through Kaan Ayhan.
The biggest takeaway from this game was just how poor the backup defenders looked for the US.
It was an entirely new back four and they looked completely outclassed by a Turkish side that was unable to score once against Australia or Paraguay.
The fullbacks, Trusty and Scally, were especially overmatched — consistently losing in one-on-one situations.
And Miles Robinson and Mark McKenzie made crucial errors on Turkey’s goals, while ex-Arsenal star Turner did not cover himself in any glory either.
These 90 minutes were certainly eye-opening for the US, and will be a chilling example of how much the quality of the American squad could drop with one injury to a starting defender.
Pochettino will be able to put his A team on the pitch for the Round of 32 clash against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but he is definitely going to be crossing his fingers that none of his stars pick up a knock in the contest.
SOURCE: THESUN