The U.S. men’s national team will have to wait until at least 2030 if it wants to complete a perfect group stage, after a heartbreaking 3–2 loss to Türkiye on Thursday to end the first stage of the 2026 World Cup. While the USMNT failed to claim a point and ended with six points from three games, it had already clinched first place in Group D, securing the easiest possible pathway through the knockout stages. With the loss behind the Americans, all eyes now turn to the round of 32 clash with Bosnia & Herzegovina on Wednesday in Santa Clara, Calif. Türkiye, meanwhile, entered Friday already eliminated from the tournament due to losses to Paraguay and Australia. Thursday’s clash saw manager Mauricio Pochettino rotate nine of the starting players from the squad that defeated Australia 2–0 last week, looking to avoid injuries and suspensions from yellow card accumulation. For much of the night, it looked like the USMNT would win regardless. Sebastian Berhalter, an MLS star with the Vancouver Whitecaps, was the star on the night. With pinpoint delivery off a corner kick, he set up defender Auston Trusty to score in the third minute, before Real Madrid’s Arda Güler tied the match seven minutes later for Türkiye. Türkiye took the lead before halftime through Barış Alper Yılmaz in the 32nd minute, before Berhalter stepped up with a strike from distance in the 49th minute to level the score at 2–2. Compete against the world. | SPORTS ILLUSTRATEDPochettino adjusted his team in the final 32 minutes, bringing in most of the first-choice lineup, including the return of star winger Christian Pulisic, as well as Sergiño Dest, Alex Freeman and Malik Tillman. Yet, their qualities weren’t enough to hold off Türkiye, with Kaan Ayhan finding a winner in the eighth minute of stoppage time in the second half. While the USMNT topped Group D, Australia played to a critical scoreless draw against Paraguay, securing its automatic advancement to the round of 32 as the group’s second-place finishers. Here’s how every player who saw the pitch fared for the USMNT in Thursday’s loss, and what the numbers tell us. The One Thing We Can’t IgnoreChristian Pulisic and many first-choice starters were on the field when Türkiye secured the victory. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn ImagesThe second-string USMNT took to the field for most of this game, but it wasn’t they who blew the win in the end—that was the first team, with the final group of players on the field including several of the starters from the win over Paraguay.This was the first time in the tournament that the USMNT faced a truly challenging situation, and it folded, struggling to show it had the quality to prevail in the final moments. The U.S. was outclassed in the corner in the dying seconds, as Pulisic was megged by Güler and typical starter Freeman lost track of his man, Ayhan, on the back post after a dangerous cross. With the knockout stage looming, the USMNT will have to be better under pressure. USMNT Player Ratings vs. Türkiye (4-3-3)Sebastian Berhalter played the game of his life, but it didn’t finish in victory. | Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images*Ratings provided by FotMob*GK: Matt Turner—5.7: Not very busy. The New England Revolution goalkeeper wasn’t able to step up for a massive save when his team needed him. RB: Joe Scally—6.2: Given his first World Cup start, the Borussia Mönchengladbach man kept things quiet down the right side and linked up with Weston McKennie. CB: Miles Robinson—6.2: The FC Cincinnati star struggled to keep up with Türkiye's talented attackers.CB: Mark McKenzie—5.8: Caught ball-watching on the first goal, McKenzie took the first half to settle into the pace of the World Cup. LB: Auston Trusty—7.5: Trusty became the third USMNT player in history to score his first international goal in a World Cup contest and was fairly reliable when it came to defending the left side. RM: Weston McKennie—7.2: One of the few holdovers in the starting lineup from the top-choice squad, McKennie led the midfield trio alongside Sebastian Berhalter and Gio Reyna. CM: Sebastian Berhalter—8.9: It was a performance for the ages for the Vancouver Whitecaps star and son of former USMNT manager and player, Gregg Berhalter. LM: Gio Reyna—6.0: Tasked with creating more in attack, Reyna was unable to provide key moments, partially due to Tim Weah's underwhelming performance. RW: Brenden Aaronson —6.0: The Leeds United attacker scuffed one of his late chances after linking up with Christian Pulisic. ST: Ricardo Pepi—5.9: Starting his second game after impressing in a wide role against Australia, Pepi failed to get in threatening areas in front of goal, as the USMNT thrived off set-pieces and second phases. ST: Tim Weah—5.3: There were thoughts that Tim Weah could start the big games this summer. While the Marseille attacker played on his weaker left side, it wasn't a 59-minute performance to remember. SUB: Christian Pulisic (58’ for Weah)—6.0: Returning from injury, Pulisic was buzzing and helped create a late push for the USMNT. Pochettino will hope he’s ready to rock for the round of 32. SUB: Alex Zendejas (76’ for Aaronson)—5.9: Stepped into his World Cup debut but didn’t see much of the ball.SUB: Sergiño Dest (76’ for Reyna)—6.4: It was a late effort for the USMNT to capture all three points, but the starting wingback wasn’t able to provide the electrifying moment. SUB: Alex Freeman (76’ for Scally)—6.4: The star man from the win over Australia couldn’t secure the draw.SUB: Malik Tillman (86’ for McKennie)—N/A: Played some soccer.Subs not used: Matt Freese (GK), Chris Brady (GK), Antonee Robinson, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Max Arfsten, Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Haji Wright What the Ratings Tell UsMauricio Pochettino can be proud of his depth, for the most part. | Soobum Im/FIFA/FIFA via Getty ImagesSebastian Berhalter excels in deliveries. While the MLS star has been divisive for his defensive liabilities, his set-piece delivery and his ability to take shots from distance were key factors that helped him crack the squad. He lived up to it all.Gio Reyna wasn't up for the challenge of playing in a meaningless match. While there were hopes his talents would shine through, his performance may have cost him a bigger opportunity in the knockouts. Christian Pulisic is as good as ever, and the USMNT need him to contribute in a big way in the knockouts. He was buzzing with two shots on target and will hope to find the back of the net against Bosnia & Herzegovina. The Numbers That Explain the Group Stage FinaleSebastian Berhalter's qualities stood out. He finished the night with 54 successful passes and five chances created, playing a big role in the USMNT's xG and possession share.Pochettino’s team reverted to old habits with five offside moments, killing several attacks.StatisticUSMNTTürkiyePossession52%48%Expected Goals (xG)2.013.21Total Shots189Shots on Target73Big Chances44Passing Accuracy32Fouls Committed1313Offsides Against52Corners94READ THE LATEST USMNT NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow