Turkey inflicts more misery on the United States as Mauricio Pochettino’s side suffers a third consecutive defeat

The United States experienced their third consecutive defeat under the management of Mauricio Pochettino, succumbing to a 2-1 loss against Turkey in a friendly match held in Hartford, Connecticut on Saturday.

Pochettino’s side, still reeling from losses to Panama and Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League finals back in March, was missing several key players, including captain and AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic.

As the World Cup approaches—an event the USA will co-host alongside Canada and Mexico—Pochettino utilised this match to assess some less established members of the squad.

One of those players, Jack McGlynn from the Houston Dynamo, gave the home team an early lead in spectacular fashion, scoring remarkable goal just two minutes in.

The 21-year-old received the ball on the right flank, made a clever cut inside, and unleashed a stunning shot from 20 yards, curling it into the far corner.

The USA began the match with zeal, but Turkey quickly settled into the game, putting pressure on the American defence.

Arda Guler squandered a significant opportunity, shooting over the bar while unmarked in the box, followed by Orkun Kokcu forcing debutant goalkeeper Matt Freese to make an impressive save with a powerful attempt.

Turkey’s relentless pressure bore fruit in the 24th minute, thanks to a mistake by USA midfielder Johnny Cardoso, whose attempt to play out from the back resulted in a deflected pass off Guler that found its way past Freese and into the net.

Just under three minutes later, Turkey took the lead when the USA defence failed to clear the ball, allowing Kerem Akturkoglu to strike home decisively.

However, Pochettino’s charges returned to the pitch with renewed vigour after half-time, and although they came close to equalising, luck was not on their side—Max Arfsten missed a close-range header, and Patrick Agyemang’s shot was saved, with Malik Tillman missing the best chance of the match.

Substitute Tyler Adams delivered a delightful cross to the back post, but Tillman’s header went straight at Turkey’s keeper Berke Ozer, missing a golden opportunity.

As the USA sought to level the score, Turkey almost extended their lead to 3-1; however, Baris Alper Yilmaz blazed his shot wide following a quick counter-attack.

“For the first time in several camps, there were more positives than negatives,” reflected midfielder Adams. “I believe we have significant room to improve—if you had asked me back in March, I would have said we were quite far off, but after a performance like that, there are many more positives to take away.“

The USA will face Switzerland in Nashville on Tuesday.