USMNT vs. Turkey is a rare World Cup dead rubber. So how should Pochettino approach it?

SEATTLE — The U.S. men’s national soccer team will have a rarity next Thursday: a World Cup game that doesn’t matter.Or, at least, the result doesn’t matter. The United States has already clinched the top spot in Group D. Turkey, its opponent on Thursday at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles, is already eliminated and will finish fourth.In theory, the so-called “dead rubber” — soccer parlance for a game without consequence — gives the U.S. a chance to rest key players, avoid injuries or suspensions, and experiment ahead of its first knockout-round match on July 1 in Santa Clara, Calif.But it also risks disrupting the rhythm that this U.S. team has built over the past few weeks and dampening momentum entering the knockout rounds.So how should U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino approach the match?Sit the players on yellow cardsFour U.S. players go into the final group-stage game carrying a yellow card: Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson.Under current FIFA World Cup regulations, any player who receives two yellow cards in the three group-stage games is suspended for the next match. Per the regulations, those yellow cards are wiped after the group stage and then again after the quarterfinals.That means Adams, Balogun, Richards and Robinson would be at risk of missing the round of 32 should they play and pick up a yellow against Turkey. That should almost certainly disqualify them from consideration by Pochettino in this group finale.Antonee Robinson (5) and Folarin Balogun (20) are instrumental for the USMNT, but both are on yellow cards heading into the World Cup group finale (Troy Wayrynen / Imagn Images)There is simply too much risk with no reward. All four of those players aren’t just starters, they’re key to the U.S. team’s success. Balogun has two goals and set up a third; Adams is a stalwart in defensive midfield; Richards is the anchor of the back line; and Robinson is a vital part of both the U.S. defensive structure and its attacking patterns as the left back.There is one school of thought that the four players could play but exercise caution; playing with mental constraints, however, could disrupt their rhythm just as much as resting might.