USMNT faces World Cup dilemma vs. Turkiye: Rotate squad or keep same XI? - ESPN

SEATTLE — It's a position that the U.S. men's national team could scarcely dream about heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

After winning its first two matches, the USMNT has already qualified for the knockout stages and clinched the top spot in Group D. When the Americans face Türkiye, which is already eliminated, in their final group stage match, the game will have no bearing on the group standings or the USMNT's opponents in the round of 32.

So, if you're U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino, how do you approach the match? Do you make wholesale changes and give playing time to those who have seen little of it in the World Cup? Or do you stick to the same core group to maintain consistency?

Granted, Pochettino has never coached a game that he didn't want to win. At his postgame news conference Friday, he made that much clear, insisting that his side needed to maintain its momentum from the first two matches.

«We need to go for the next one and to be sure that we are going to arrive in good condition, like we arrive in the last two games,» he said.

To be clear, that was said before Paraguay's 1-0 over Türkiye, a result that guaranteed the Crescent-Stars can't advance in the tournament and ensured the U.S. would win Group D. The U.S. players were saying much the same.

But it's up to Pochettino to think about the big picture, and logic dictates that he will shade things more toward almost a completely different lineup.

There are four U.S. players — midfielder Tyler Adams, forward Folarin Balogun, defender Chris Richards and left back Antonee Robinson — who have yellow cards. If they were to pick up another against Türkiye, they would be suspended for the USMNT's round of 32 match July 1.

Yellow cards are erased after the