What can USA gain from Turkey dead rubber? This Mauricio Pochettino speech tells us everything
· Yahoo Sports
Back in November, amidst a never-ending list of international friendlies for the United States, Mauricio Pochettino took an abnormal approach. Rather than prioritise the scoreline for a co-host keen to build momentum for a first home World Cup in 32 years, the USA boss fully rotated for a clash against Uruguay, completely changing the outfit that defeated Paraguay three days earlier.
The priority was group harmony and squad unity. Pochettino saw his second-string players perform against high-ranked opposition with an impressive World Cup heritage. In a standout result of his reign, the USA won 5-1 in Tampa with Alex Freeman – son of Super Bowl-winner Antonio Freeman and a breakout World Cup star after his goalscoring display against Australia – scoring twice.
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Afterwards, Pochettino gave his players a four-minute speech in the dressing room, which was posted on US Soccer’s YouTube page. The Argentine spoke of “putting the team first” and the notion of “commitment being bigger than player names.”
Mauricio Pochettino is set to rotate for the Turkey clash (Getty)He finished by saying: “It’s bigger because it’s a dream that we were talking [about] in the last few days... to be realistic and then do the impossible. That is our objective. Because I think we need to really believe, really believe that we can win and beat any team.”
Seven months on and two games into the 2026 World Cup, there’s no doubt this US team – and increasingly excitable fanbase – really do believe now. In dismissing Paraguay and Australia with such ruthless intensity and creative guile in their first two games, Pochettino and his players have captivated a wider public and fully engaged with that “dream” of a deep World Cup and, who knows, maybe even a glorious triumph.
Such has been the USA’s dominance in Group D and the questionable tie-break switch from goal-difference to head-to-head, as critiqued by my colleague Miguel Delaney here, top spot is already wrapped up. Contrastingly, Thursday’s opponents at the Los Angeles Stadium, perennial underachievers Turkey, are guaranteed to finish bottom even if they thrash the US later tonight. It makes the contest a largely unsatisfying dead rubber, even in an expanded tournament where third-place could be enough for a knockout berth.
But for Pochettino, it’s less a dead rubber and more a free hit. While there will be temptation to maintain the status quo and a perfect group-stage record, the US boss is set to rotate his starting XI. They already know their last-32 match-up will be in Santa Clara next Wednesday against a high-ranked third-place team (which would currently be Bosnia and Herzegovina). Rest and rotation are clearly the priority.
Some decisions are blindingly obvious. Four key players – Folarin Balogun, Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams and Chris Richards – are a booking away from being suspended for the last-32. Expect them to watch on from the bench.
"I think it's an easy answer for the guys that have yellow cards," Pochettino said, at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday. "I think it's unnecessary to take a risk and then take another yellow card and be not available for the next stage.
"I think that is a little bit of a normal and easy answer to not play with them from the beginning."
Instead, all eyes will be on star man Christian Pulisic and his fitness. Will he start? Pulisic, hampered by a left calf injury, returned to team training on Tuesday and will be keen for some minutes. If he misses out completely, the AC Milan winger will have had a 19-day absence from his first-half cameo against Paraguay to next week’s last-32 clash. Not disastrous, but hardly ideal.
Folarin Balogun, on a yellow card, is set to be rested (Getty)Christian Pulisic in training for the USA on Tuesday (Getty)"We need to decide if it's possible to play [him] from the beginning or be on the bench,” Pochettino said of his star man’s availability. “Maybe to play in the second half. That is the situation."
Yet beyond Pulisic, Pochettino will be keen to witness his wider 26-man squad in action. For a deep run to progress into reality, the US boss will require impact and solidity from the bench, perhaps deep into extra-time and with penalties on the horizon. Even if, by his own past comments, the Argentine is disdainful of talk of reserves.
“I hate the ‘no regular players’” Pochettino said back in November, when he rotated against Uruguay. “What does this mean? It’s USA playing, it’s the national team. Stop with that mindset.
“Every time our decision to pick a starting XI, it’s the US men’s national team playing.”If you know me, I hate to talk this way. It’s so disrespectful. We need to give credit to all of the guys.”
It is this mindset shift and collaborative mentality which has epitomised the USA’s performances thus far; a focus on the whole rather than the few. While out of the tournament already, Arda Guler and Turkey will be desperate to emerge from the summer with at least some points to their name. It’s what makes tonight’s clash, in front of 70,000 in Inglewood, one of fascinating intrigue before the serious business restarts 350 miles up the west coast next week.