INGLEWOOD, Calif. — For Mauricio Pochettino, the challenge of a meaningless clash with Türkiye was exceedingly simple. Just get through it.“Winning this game, or not winning this game, is not going to change,” the U.S. men’s national team coach scoffed, prioritizing a lack of injuries or suspensions. What he found a lot more complicated was everyone else’s reaction to a 3–2 loss.“At the moment, no one congratulate us on finishing first in a very difficult group,” Pochettino pointed out in the middle of an oddly tense press conference. The Argentine manager made it abundantly apparent with his team selection that he had little interest in the outcome of a dead rubber, with qualification in top spot already secured and a settled XI clear in his mind.WIN FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ FINAL TICKETSCompete against the world. | SPORTS ILLUSTRATEDThe players had done their best to convince the public that they cared about recording a perfect group stage record for the first time in the history of the men’s national team, carrying that momentum into a round of 32 tie against Bosnia & Herzegovina. Pochettino fundamentally disagreed—and questioned the very concept of “momentum” in sport.“Making history is winning the World Cup, not winning three games,” the fiercely ambitious head coach insisted. To Pochettino’s mind, dwelling on the defeat was “a little bit petty” and a case of thinking “too small.” He had a point.Lost Identity Tentatively RediscoveredTürkiye took the lead twice on Thursday. | Kohjiro Kinno/Sports IllustratedAhead of the match, while he was maintaining the pretense of bothering about this fixture at all, Pochettino’s self-confessed goal for this meaningless clash was clear: “Maintaining the identity, maintaining the signs and principles that we have demonstrated.”The much-changed XI—only two started against Australia in Seattle and one of them, Ricardo Pepi, is second choice himself—emphatically failed to achieve any of those objectives in the first 45 minutes. This group of substitutes looked like they were playing from a set of instructions in 11 different languages, none of which were English.The most encouraging aspect of the opening two games was how much this side played like a team coached by Mauricio Pochettino, all snarling tackles and high turnovers, compact but aggressive. Türkiye, after toiling away in front of two low blocks without any success this summer, waltzed through the U.S. Vincenzo Montella’s wasteful outfit infamously took 62 shots across its opening pair of matches without scoring a single goal. While the Italian coach bemoaned the fickle fates, most of Türkiye’s attempts had been desperately low quality. The tournament’s lame dark horses dutifully scored with its first two shots on Thursday.This was no statistical fluke. Arda Güler finally converted because he had played his way through a sea of limp challenges to take aim from 10 yards out between the posts. Barış Yılmaz was even closer to goal when he prodded the visitors in front 20 minutes later.Kaan Ayhan’s winner may have come from almost on the goal line but the U.S. unmistakably tightened up after the interval. Türkiye only had two shots before stoppage time, spending most of the contest weathering a retaliation from a team enlivened by Pochettino’s words and one key introduction.This Team Has Stars—And They Are SetChristian Pulisic had a bright cameo. | Kohjiro Kinno/Sports Illustrated“During this journey, we understand that players who didn’t start out playing may end up being crucial in achieving the goals we want,” Pochettino mused pregame. “The team isn’t 11 players, it’s 28.”While that is technically true, there are 11 (at most 14) who should figure heavily in the teams used throughout the knockout stages. Pepi labored as Folarin Balogun’s underwhelming understudy. The holographic striker’s average position in the first half was deeper than every midfielder. Perhaps he would have had more success putting in a tackle than Gio Reyna, who came through his 76-minute cameo without a single attempt at winning back possession. Sebastian Berhalter was the other end of the spectrum, wildly leaping after the ball in a performance which fortuitously didn’t end with an early red card. Tyler Adams’s absence was keenly felt.At the sharp end of the pitch, Tim Weah didn’t take a shot or create a single chance during a listless 58 minutes he spent running through quicksand. Christian Pulisic forced Ugurcan Çakir into a save within four minutes of his feverishly received introduction, spearing straight past Zeki Çelik repeatedly with a much-scrutinized calf which looked fully heeled.Pochettino admitted that one of the few benefits he saw from this fixture was a chance to get 30 minutes in the legs of the team’s undisputed talisman. Surely there are less extravagant ways of building back Pulisic’s fitness.World Cup Fever Dampened But Not DeadUSMNT support was fierce throughout. | Kohjiro Kinno/Sports IllustratedSlumped in front of a sullen press room, Pochettino couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “The vibes is like we go home tonight and Türkiye stay,” he gawked. The mood among fans wasn’t quite so dire.There was no mass sing-a-long of “Country Roads” on Thursday night. The adopted anthem instead served as the gentle backdrop to measured applause from a visibly frustrated group of players bitten by the 98th-minute gut punch.Yet, while the USMNT was trailing 2–1 at halftime, the crowd delivered a hearty rendition of “Livin’ on a Prayer” as the stadium lights dimmed and the stands became dotted with flickering phone flashes. That was a new development.Even without the backing of Bon Jovi, the support of yet another sold-out SoFi was electric during and very much before the contest.“I’m gonna be so hoarse I won’t be able to talk in any of my meetings tomorrow,” Donna, who had traveled down from Seattle, told Sports Illustrated while bouncing towards the stadium. “I’m already croaky,” one of her three sons, Damon, interjected with a voice which very much supported that claim.The streets of Inglewood, Calif. on Thursday evening were endless streams of red and white. There were stars and stripes bandanas, cowboy hats and dungarees, socks, shorts and even a cravat for one fan who had dusted off his Benjamin Franklin attire a week early. One of the few clusters not sporting some sort of red were the black shirts of the Barra 76 fan group which rhythmically chanted ‘U-S-A’ on a walk to the stadium, growing in size with each stride towards the dizzying zig-zag of entrances.Pochettino wants the support of the crowd, but he will not give up on his convictions for it. ‘Coach Poch’ Is the BossMauricio Pochettino is getting the best out of his players at the perfect time. | Jane Gershovich/ISI Photos/ISI Photos/Getty ImagesThe outfit of a South American revolutionary leader may be new but Pochettino has always ruled with an iron fist.When Pulisic turned down a call-up for the Gold Cup roster last summer but was willing to grace a couple of pre-tournament friendlies with his presence, Pochettino told the team’s figurehead to stay at home.When his pre-tournament confidence was ridiculed, he doubled down. When he was told Tim Ream was too old, he made him captain. When Gio Reyna was ruled out by many after spending the entire season riding the bench for Borussia Mönchengladbach, Pochettino made a special exception.Weah has talked about “Coach Poch” trying to shed the “good guys” tag so often used for this team. Pochettino has never had a problem being the villain.“What matters in a tournament of this magnitude,” he warned, “is not how it starts, but how it ends.” However this competition shakes out, the USMNT will be doing it Pochettino’s way.READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow