USMNT player ratings: Turner 3/10 in first World Cup loss

It looked like the the U.S. men’s national team was about to go through World Cup group play without a loss until Kaan Ayhan’s last-minute winner sent the Americans to a 3-2 loss Thursday against Türkiye at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.

The U.S. winning its first two games to start the tournament and guaranteeing the top spot of Group D meant USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino could rest the majority of his starting XI and get a feel for how the rest of his lineup fared. The early returns were positive, with goals from Auston Trusty and Sebastian Berhalter, but ultimately the U.S. could stop conceding to Türkiye.

Here’s a look at what happened, how it happened and what it means going forward as the U.S. heads to the knockout round.

Manager rating (out of 10)

Mauricio Pochettino, 6 — Gaining a firmer grasp of his depth was really the most important thing for Pochettino and his staff to take from the match against Türkiye. What they saw were players they know they can trust when it comes time for a change, whereas others appeared to give them more questions than answers. A draw seemed like a fair result until that breakdown at the end sent the U.S. to its first defeat.

USMNT player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, 5 = average)

GK Matt Turner, 3 — It could be argued that he might have come out too early on Arda Güler’s goal to close down the angle before still getting beat. What also didn’t help Turner is that he, like a few others, appeared to be frozen in response to Orkun Kökçü’s go-ahead goal. But he was consistent when it came to stopping crosses before the late winner.

RB Joe Scally, 4 — Seeing the contributions that Alex Freeman and Sergino Dest have made from the right side in the USMNT’s previous two games was a contrast to Scally, who was much quieter in that area. Then there was how he was also caught out of position and then beat on Kokcu’s goal to give Türkiye a 2-1 lead.

CB Miles Robinson, 5 — Robinson had a few clearances during that stretch when Türkiye found confidence in their attack after that second goal. But at the same time? He was also part of the collection of people who got caught out of position on that second goal, and it would be a similar experience on Ayhan’s match-winner.

CB Mark McKenzie, 3 — He had one of the more challenging nights of any player. McKenzie was made to look vulnerable on Guler’s goal that allowed Türkiye to tie the game in the 10th minute before he was also caught out on the second goal. And like a few members of the U.S. back line, he was also left vulnerable on the match-winning goal.

LB Auston Trusty, 5 — Trusty’s night started strong when he was on the far end of the goal when he struck home the opening goal off a corner that allowed the U.S. to take the lead within the first two minutes. But he also had some challenging moments such as a few turnovers that led to counters and whenever he was in 1-on-1s against Guler.

CM Weston McKennie, 5 — McKennie almost had the first goal on that corner before the ball went to Trusty. Overall? McKennie was the presence who found ways to get into space with the aim of controlling tempo in a side that struggled to find consistency both when it was on the ball and away from it.

CM Sebastian Berhalter, 7 — Berhalter had the strongest performance of anyone in the starting XI. His first corner that led to a goal was part of a consistent flow of deliveries into the box that nearly led to a second goal in the first half. The Americans would get that equalizer thanks to him blasting a shot from long range that found an opening.

CM Giovanni Reyna, 4 — Reyna had some moments early on that saw him draw a foul, have a nice exchange in Türkiye’s zone that led to a turnover and a full-on counter that saw the U.S. concede a corner.

RW Brenden Aaronson, 4 — There were a few moments when he facilitated some attacks and even earned a corner within the first 30 minutes but also had times when he struggled to carve a place for himself. An example of that came in the 71st when he had the ball on the edge of the box before losing possession.

LW Timothy Weah, 5 — He also had something of a mixed evening. Weah had those moments when he was willing to run and be on the receiving end of those long balls that attempted to probe Türkiye’s zone. However? Weah’s pace worked against him at times as he was called offside before being subbed off before the hour mark.

ST Ricardo Pepi, 5 — Pepi felt a bit more visible playing down the middle against Türkiye compared to when he was on the wing against Australia. He had his moments when he came into midfield to provide support while also having potential chances in the box that didn’t quite pan out.

Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes = no rating)

LW Christian Pulisic (Weah, 76′), 7 — Any potential questions about his fitness after missing the Australia match through injury were instantly answered. Pulisic provided that consistent threat that the U.S. was struggling to find. He had moments such as when he beat Zeki Celik before launching a shot on net along with a shot that just sailed past Ugurcan Cakir’s post in the 77th minute.

CM Sergiño Dest (Reyna, 77′), NR — Pulisic operating on the left and middle, at times, meant it was a bit of a quiet time for Dest when it came to those attacking sequences.

RW Alejandro Zendejas (Aaronson, 77′), NR — There was a ball he had in the box late in the second half that gave the U.S. a chance to threaten.

RB Alex Freeman (Scally 77′), NR — His insertion into the match provided more defensive stability when attacks came down the right until he was part of the group of defenders left helpless on Turkiye’s winning salvo.

CM Malik Tillman (McKennie 86′), NR — Tillman relieved his normal midfield partner by giving the U.S. a box-to-box presence that helped see out the match.