The USMNT's performance was better than in Nation's League, but not good enough against a seasoned Turkey squad
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – For a moment, the vibes were back with the U.S. men's national team. Jack McGlynn scored a stunner in the first minute of the match, leaving those wearing red, white and blue gasping.
Momentum was flowing and, even with a laundry list of big-name USMNT players watching this game on TV instead of playing, Mauricio Pochettino's squad – despite pouring rain – was putting on display what it was lacking at the Nations League in the spring.
Unfortunately for the USMNT, the vibes didn't last. They weren't undone by a lack of energy or effort, or intensity or "want-to" but rather some serious Turkish quality and a mammoth mistake.
McGlynn's fantastic goal seemed to be a tone-setter, but then Johnny Cardoso's giveaway in the box led directly to Turkey star Arda Guler's 24th-minute equalizer. From there, Turkey swarmed, with Kerem Akturkoglu netting his own just three minutes later.
And that's how it finished, with a 2-1 Turkey win, dampening the enthusiasm for the summer of soccer for the USMNT.
There isn't much shame in that. Turkey is a strong team, one that was a quarterfinalist at the Euros last summer. For the first quarter of the game, this U.S. team – the one lacking so much of their own top-end quality with the likes of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Antonee Robinson not in the squad – was able to play with them.
Outside of a five-to-10 minute stretch midway through that first half, the U.S. looked solid. Cardoso's mishap, ultimately, proved their undoing.
“Until we conceded in the first 25 minutes, we were playing so well,” Pochettino said on TNT at halftime. “I think we were better than Turkey. When we conceded, it was a massive impact for us. It was a very emotional goal that we conceded… I'm so happy overall for our performance and its bad luck that we conceded.”
Another setback – and those have become too common of late. This was the team's third loss in a row – Panama, Canada and now Turkey – and, while this was better than the previous two, that isn't saying much. This was the USMNT’s second three-game losing streak in a one-year span (going back to Copa America last summer). That hadn't happened in nearly 10 years.
The Americans dropped to 5-4 under Pochettino, who replaced Gregg Berhalter after the team's early Copa America exit in 2024. Pochettino is the first USMNT coach with a three-game losing streak in his first 10 games since Manfred Schellscheidt in 1975.
“We have a lot of room for growth,” Tyler Adams told TNT after the match. “If you would've asked me in March, I would've said we're far away. After looking at a performance like that, there are a lot more positives we can take away. We've been working on the little details this week and we haven't had so much time together, just five days.
“The energy and the competition and the way the guys were able to compete in a game like today, shows that we have the opportunity to do something special. We need to replicate that game after game, it can't just be against Turkey. It needs to be against Switzerland now and then into the Gold Cup. Consistency is a big part of what we need.”
With the 2025 Gold Cup – and more importantly, the 2026 World Cup – coming, perhaps this was a positive step. On the day, though, it seemed another missed opportunity for a team that is struggling to seize such moments.
GOAL rates the USMNT's players from Pratt & Whitney Stadium.
Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defense
Matt Freese (6/10):
Got the start ahead of Matt Turner. Not much he could have really done on either goal. Was a little indecisive at times but ultimately made the right call when he did come off his line.
Max Arfsten (5/10):
Played extremely high and often got himself into dangerous positions. Unfortunately, didn't quite have the quality to make anything of them, headlined by a chance in the second half that he smashed over the crossbar.
Miles Robinson (5/10):
To be fair, he was put in a tough spot with Arfsten playing so high, leaving him chasing Turkey's attackers whenever they bombed forward. There were some shaky moments, though, which will at least partly be why he was taken off at halftime.
Chris Richards (6/10):
There were a few rough sequences during Turkey's onslaught, but Richards generally recovered. Was fine outside of that.
Alex Freeman (6/10):
Was the more "stay-at-home" fullback of the two and was forced into some tough defensive work. Held his own despite the skill level of Turkey's talented attackers.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield
Johnny Cardoso (2/10):
An inexcusable giveaway directly led to the game-changing moment. Forget position and form and any other discussion to explain why Cardoso struggles for the USMNT. This was a basic, bad soccer mishap, one that any player must know not to make at this level – or any level, for that matter.
Luca de la Torre (6/10):
Was particularly good on the ball, and the USMNT probably should have funneled it to him way more than they did. Passing was near-perfect, particularly in the first half.
Jack McGlynn (7/10):
It has to be said that he struggled to really maintain his level after the goal. But when a goal is that good, can you blame him? Had a few more decent looks at goal, potentially too many as he ripped a few shots that may have been better served as layoffs.
Getty ImagesAttack
Diego Luna (7/10):
It won't show up on the scoresheet, but Luna's effort and endeavor generally led to the best moments the U.S. had going forward. Never really set up a chance on his own, but his presence was generally fine throughout.
Patrick Agyemang (6/10):
Did some things well, namely hold up play. Did some things not so well, namely doing anything to create a chance. Not a bad game, but several rough touches did prevent Agyemang from ever truly finding his big moment in front of his hometown crowd.
Malik Tillman (6/10):
Credited with an assist on McGlynn's goal but, let's be honest, that was all McGlynn. Still, this was a decent day. If his second-half header had gone a foot or two either way and into the back of the net instead of into a pair of goalkeeper gloves, the conversation would be very different.
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Mark McKenzie (6/10):
Didn't have to survive many Turkey attacks in the way Robinson did in the first half. Mostly limited to passing the ball around the back.
Tyler Adams (8/10):
Just on a different level than his teammates, and that was apparent from the moment he stepped onto the field.
Nathan Harriel (6/10):
Did well to somewhat slow down a late Turkey chance. Wasn't particularly active otherwise.
Quinn Sullivan (5/10):
Had one little look at goal, but totally scuffed it. Can probably chalk that up to first-cap nerves.
Haji Wright (5/10):
Tried his best but was generally stifled by Turkey's defense whenever he tried running at them.
Brian White (N/A):
Didn't fare much better than Agyemang. Probably got less service, too.
Mauricio Pochettino (X/10):
It got ugly there in the first half but, to his credit, the USMNT was much better in the second. This game, though, does lead to some questions, namely: How will the U.S. find width and, in response, defend the middle when the opponent figures out they don't have any?