World Cup roster gamble fails to pay off following US loss to Turkey

Mauricio Pochettino has been inconsistent since taking over as national team coach 18 months ago. He experimented with formations and tactics, shook up his squad and motivated his players by demanding to know why they cannot take part in this World Cup.

On Thursday, he perhaps took this disregard for convention a little too far, with Kaan Ayhan’s goal coming in stoppage time, giving Turkey a 3-2 victory and spoiling the Americans’ early invincibility.

With the United States already securing a place in the tournament’s round of 16, Pochettino emptied his bench, making nine changes to his squad for the group stage final against Turkey and giving 21 players a first-round start. And this time the roll of the dice didn’t work, with Turkey securing their only victory of the tournament in their final World Cup touch.

It won’t be known until Wednesday whether that result robs Pochettino’s team of the momentum it built by opening the tournament with dominant wins over Paraguay and Australia, when the United States (2-1-0) faces Bosnia-Herzegovina, third in Group B, in its first playoff match in Santa Clara.

Pochettino promised not.

“The goal was to finish first and we are first,” he said. “Now it’s the next step and it will be a final. And we are ready. We are much better than before this match because we now had players with 90 minutes in their legs and performing and really to help us if we need it from the start or afterwards from the bench.

“Everything is positive. And I’m so positive and I’m happy.”

Pochettino’s lineup changes were the most a U.S. coach has made in consecutive World Cup matches. And when Alejandro Zendejas came on in the 76th minute, he became the 23rd American player to participate in the tournament, also a record.

Turkey’s Kaan Ayhan scores the winner in stoppage time, sending the United States to a 3-2 defeat at the World Cup on Thursday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Despite the result, midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, who scored a goal and an assist in his first World Cup start, said having everyone on the field prepared the United States well for the round of 16.

“We know everyone is ready to respond at any time,” he said. “I think you saw that today. We let a few moments get away from us, but I thought the performance overall was good.

“It’s every little kid’s dream in the United States of America to play a World Cup at home, and a World Cup in general. People made their debut today, so congratulations to everyone. It’s what everyone is looking forward to.”

From the start, Pochettino once again looked like a genius, with surprise holder Auston Trusty giving the United States a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the match. The game began with Berhalter, also making his first World Cup start, sending a long right-footed corner in front of goal to Trusty, who settled it with his first touch, then firing a left-footed shot from the far edge of the penalty area between Turkish goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir and the near post.

It was the second-fastest U.S. goal in World Cup history. But the lead was short-lived, with Turkey equalizing in the 10th minute when Real Madrid midfielder Arda Guler slipped past American central defender Mark McKenzie and ran onto a Kenan Yildiz pass at the penalty spot before firing a left-footed shot past Matt Turner.

U.S. players rally after their 3-2 loss to Turkey in the World Cup on Thursday.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

The shot was the first Turner faced in the tournament and was the first time in this World Cup that the United States had surrendered a lead.

Turner fared no better on the second shot he faced, with Orkun Kokcu taking a central pass from Eren Elmali on the edge of the penalty area and redirecting it into the back of the net, handing the United States their first deficit of the tournament in the 31st minute.

The United States pulled one back on another free kick four minutes into the second half when a loose ball ricocheted toward the top of the box to the ever-present Berhalter who, with plenty of space, skipped a right-footed shot just inside the near post to level the score.

“The ball came out and I knew if I stayed calm and just made a swing, I had a chance,” Berhalter said. “You practice them a lot and to see that unfold was awesome.”

Ten minutes later, Pochettino brought on Christian Pulisic, injured in his left calf, for the first time since the first half of the first match. He immediately made his presence felt by creating three dangerous chances on the left wing.

The USA’s failure to convert any of them proved costly when Ayhan, surrounded by three American defenders, scored during a scrum in front of the net.

“You can always take those things as fuel, have that moment in the last one where they score,” Brenden Aaronson said. “It’s difficult. We wanted to come away undefeated in the group stage. But it was still a fantastic group stage.

“Not worried at all. We’ll move on to the next one and be ready to go to Bosnia.”

Turkey, playing in a World Cup for the first time since 2002, lost its first two matches and was eliminated before Thursday’s match. And she took her frustration out on the United States, playing a choppy game from the start.

Sports editor Iliana Limón Romero contributed to this story.

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