The United States men’s national team entered this summer facing numerous doubts amid their efforts to be fully prepared for the massive 2026 World Cup on home soil. The largest among them were quite basic. This team had, for most of its time under Mauricio Pochettino and at some points before that, showed a frustrating inability to seize upon moments, to impose themselves on games, to make other teams pay for their mistakes. In the few moments where they did grab momentum, they struggled to hold it for long.
Saturday’s game against Turkey was just a friendly, but it was also a way to start allaying those doubts – a first step on the last summer slate before the World Cup, to show that the US were still capable of doing those things, no matter the personnel.
