In a match that promised much for the U.S. men's national team, the team's hopes were dashed in a matter of moments. The Americans had been oozing confidence, beating Türkiye 1-0 in their first friendly of the summer, with recent debutants dueling with established Turkish stars and winning. However, a single careless pass and a fluky bounce saw all the positive vibes swirl down drains and back to ground zero.
The USMNT ultimately lost to Türkiye 2-1 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut, marking their third straight loss and seventh consecutive game against a European foe without a victory. In many ways, it was more of the same - uninspiring and without progress. But it was also a missed opportunity, as for two-thirds of the match, the makeshift USMNT had outplayed a mostly-full-strength European quarterfinalist.
The mistake that cost the Americans the game was Johnny Cardoso's in the 24th minute. He picked up the ball in his own penalty area and, after two touches, flicked it off the shin of Arda Güler, which dribbled directly into the corner of the U.S. net. The foosball-like goal leveled the game at 1-1 and shook the Americans. "The emotional impact of the goal that we conceded," head coach Mauricio Pochettino said postgame, "created a bit of a mess in the team."
In one moment, they were flowing and assured; when the game resumed, they looked deflated. A couple of minutes later, they conceded again, and the good vibes completely evaporated. Cardoso, who had played like a commanding midfielder in the opening 20 minutes, suddenly began gifting possession and counterattacks to his Turkish counterparts. Max Arfsten and Diego Luna, who'd been bright spots early on, were also giving the ball away in their defensive half. Jack McGlynn, who scored the U.S. goal with a superb strike in the first minute, was suddenly invisible. U.S. defenders were shaky on and off the ball, and everyone was hesitant in duels. The game turned on its head, from an impressive U.S. performance to a troubling one.
By the end of 90 minutes, it was more impressive than troubling. "There's a lot more positives we can take away," midfielder Tyler Adams told TNT afterward. Adams replaced Cardoso at halftime - a pre-planned substitution - and the USMNT stabilized. But its collection of reserves didn't quite have the quality to find an equalizer.
Rather than a jumping-off point for a successful summer, Saturday's match became another forgettable one, far below the standard that the USMNT will need to meet as it looks toward the 2026 World Cup. At times, it seemed like a step toward that standard; but the result seemed like more stagnation. "I am really sad," Pochettino said at his post-match news conference, "because this group of players has been working hard, and we deserved a better result today."
