High-flying Team USA Soccer is prepping to play Turkey tomorrow in their last 2026 World Cup Group D match at Los Angeles Stadium. The 2-0 Americans, and one of the darlings of the tournament, contend against Turkey with little on the line except to stay injury-free. They have clinched the Group D championship with convincing wins over Paraguay and Australia and await their as-yet-unknown round-of-32 opponent.

USA coach Mauricio Pochettino’s plans for the game against Turkey are threefold. First, minimal substitutions in the first two World Cup matches means he must rest some of his fatigued starters. This will also give several of his reserves a chance for game action as the team enters the one-and-done brackets of the tournament. Second, accomplish all of this without a letdown. And determine whether his star, Christian Pulisic, can play some quality minutes after missing the last match against Australia due to a calf injury.

Recap of Team USA Match Wins

When Team USA opened its tournament against Paraguay, the soccer world was waiting with bated breath. The question was whether the improved US team would carry its momentum into the World Cup. Well, Team USA passed the test with flying colors in a 4-1 rout of Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium. They opened their scoring on a Pulisic shot that was deflected into the net off Paraguayan midfielder Damián Bobadilla for a 1-0 USA lead. At the 30-minute mark, they would up it to a two-goal lead.

Pulisic threaded a beautiful pass to Folarin Balogun, who knocked it home with a beautiful shot in the right corner of the net. After Pulisic left the game at halftime with a lower leg contusion, Balogun made it 3-0 with a terrific individual effort that resulted in a goal that he nestled in the upper corner of the net. Paraguay would get on the board in the 73rd minute, and Team USA would cap the scoring on the final shot of the game from Gio Reyna and leave the field with a commanding victory.

Unfortunately, Team USA was forced to play its second Group match against Australia without Pulisic, who was sidelined with his calf strain. In front of a supportive, raucous crowd, the Americans showed they had the will and the way. In a dominant performance, they defeated the Aussies 2-0 at Lumen Stadium in Seattle. The USA took control from the beginning and scored in the 11th minute when Balogun centered a pass that ricocheted off Australia defender Cameron Burgess into the net.

The Aussies, who had previously defeated Turkey, were simply no match for the assertive Americans. With Pulisic sidelined, Pochettino ingeniously switched to a 4-4-2 formation, adding Ricardo Pepi as a second striker to increase their scoring chances.  In the 43rd minute, USA rising star Alex Freeman scored off a Sergino Dest deflected shot, heading it into the net for a 2-0 US lead. The Aussies had a few chances to tie the match down the stretch but were continually halted by the tenacious USA defenders.

Turkey and the Path Forward

For starters, Pochettino will automatically sit Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards, and Antonee “Jedi” Robinson against Turkey, as they have all been assessed one yellow card. If any of them were charged with a violation in tomorrow’s game, they would be suspended for one game and miss their round-of-32 match. This will create opportunities for forwards Timothy Weah and Brenden Aaronson, midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, and defender Max Arfsten to receive some valuable playing time.

So, for a US team that last won two straight World Cup matches in 1930, what does the road ahead look like? It is known that Team USA will play its round-of-32 match on July 1 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. And their opponent will more than likely be Group B’s third-place team, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Obviously, a healthy and rested Pulisic will be a key to an American run at the title. But with Balogun and Freeman also in the lineup and the wizardry of Pochettino, the US has a chance to make some noise in the round of 32 and beyond.