KLIK SAJA - Aiming to complete the group stage with a perfect record for the first time this century, the United States will host Turkey in their final Group D match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Los Angeles Stadium on Thursday.
A 2-0 victory over Australia last Friday lifted the co-hosts to the top of the group standings, while Turkey remain rooted to the bottom without a point after suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Paraguay.
Making only their second appearance at a World Cup finals, Turkey have looked a shadow of the side that famously finished third at the 2002 tournament.
Although their much-heralded golden generation has already been eliminated from knockout-stage contention, head coach Vincenzo Montella is expected to remain in charge of the national team.
The former Italy international now has the opportunity to guide Turkey to their first World Cup victory since the memorable 3-2 win over co-hosts South Korea in the third-place playoff back in 2002.
Meanwhile, Turkey are facing the prospect of three consecutive international defeats for the first time since Euro 2020, when they exited the tournament without collecting a single point during the group stage.
They are also at risk of going at least three straight international matches without scoring, something they have not experienced since the 2010–11 period when they failed to find the net in four consecutive games.
Turkey have struggled to capitalize even when taking the lead, failing to win two of their three World Cup group-stage matches after scoring first. They have also lost both group-stage matches in which they conceded the opening goal.
Thursday’s encounter will mark Turkey’s first-ever World Cup meeting against a CONCACAF nation. However, they defeated the United States 2-1 in their most recent meeting in East Hartford last year.
Everything has gone according to plan for the United States so far. The Americans secured a place in the knockout rounds after just two matches, a feat they had never achieved before in World Cup history.
A victory on Thursday would also give the USMNT their first-ever three-match winning streak at a World Cup. Moreover, the tournament hosts have already guaranteed top spot in Group D.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino is also on the verge of making history. A win over Turkey would make the former Tottenham Hotspur manager the most successful United States coach in World Cup history, surpassing Bruce Arena and Robert Millar, who each recorded two victories.
Unlike previous World Cup campaigns, the United States have adopted a highly aggressive approach throughout the tournament. They have registered 300 high-intensity pressures, one of the highest totals in the competition.
Remarkably, they have maintained this intensity despite captain Christian Pulisic missing a significant portion of the tournament. The Yanks have also completed 77.5 percent of their passes in the attacking third across their opening two matches.
