beyond the back page Now it gets serious at World Cup — and USMNT are in position to make deep run By Jake Nisse Published June 26, 2026, 7:50 a.m. ET Sebastian Berhalter celebrates with United States teammates after scoring a goal during a loss to Turkey in the World Cup in Los Angeles on June 25, 2026. AP Photo/Andre Penner Bring on the knockouts.
The USMNT will now shift their World Cup focus to the Round of 32 following a last-minute 3-2 loss against Turkey in Thursday night’s dead-rubber, group-stage finale in Los Angeles.
On a night when the USA entered having clinched as group winners (Turkey were eliminated after just two games), the Americans saw their momentum temporarily halted despite goals from Auston Trusty and Sebastian Berhalter and Christian Pulisic playing nearly 40 minutes in his return from a calf injury.
While Mauricio Pochettino’s group booked their place in the knockouts a week ago with their win over Australia, the preparations for a confirmed matchup against Bosnia and Herzegovina will now ramp up.
