When the U.S. men’s national team takes to the pitch for its final Group D match against Türkiye on Thursday, there won’t be anything to play for.
The USMNT, via dominant wins against Paraguay and Australia, has already clinched the top spot in the group and a pathway that sees the squad start the knockout rounds in Santa Clara, Calif., with a potential round of 16 in Seattle—the city where the Stars and Stripes downed the team from Down Under.
Türkiye, despite high hopes and a strong roster, came crashing down, as it failed to score in two matches, losing 2–0 to Australia before fumbling a red-card advantage in a 1–0 loss to Paraguay.
It leaves both teams, particularly the USMNT, in a precarious position. Is it worth playing the top players, or should manager Mauricio Pochettino completely change his starting lineup in an effort to give his men extra rest?
Here, Sports Illustrated takes a look at three ways the USMNT may approach the inconsequential group stage finale, which takes place just seven days before its round of 32 match on July 1.
Rotate Everything
The USMNT is already dealing with an injury to star player Christian Pulisic. Why bother risking the health of other players in a match that doesn’t have any implications for the final table?
With the 26-man squad, Pochettino can completely change his lineup without risking any players. This would mean Matt Turner in goal and likely Haji Wright up top, with a midfield of Brenden Aaronson, Sebastian Berhalter, Gio Reyna, Cristian Roldan and Timothy Weah.
This opportunity would give significant minutes to those on the roster who aren’t likely to play much in the critical games and would also ensure the health of those most relied upon. However, it could also lead to a significant loss, which could be a blow to the team's internal and external confidence as well as the momentum built over the first two games.
Türkiye has no reason to rotate. There will be adjustments, but no team wants to go out on a loss, especially given its talent didn’t live up to the potential this summer.
Minor Changes
The most likely scenario for Pochettino’s men sees slight changes to the lineup and possibly a formation shift, allowing the team to test out final systems ahead of the knockout stages against a Turkish side that, despite its struggles, has been a threatening force in possession.
This situation would likely see Turner in goal and Pulisic rested, even if healthy. At the same time, decisions would consider yellow cards, as a player with one yellow would be suspended for the round of 32 if he picked up one in the dead rubber.
The yellow card adjustments would likely see Folarin Balogun swapped out for Ricardo Pepi, Antonee Robinson stepping aside for Max Arfsten and Tyler Adams taking a seat on the bench for Berhalter. At the same time, the rest of the lineup stays consistent.
This balance removes the yellow-card risk for players, as disciplinary records are wiped after the group stage, while also keeping the core of the top lineup at peak match sharpness ahead of the most important games.
No Changes, Pulisic Returns
High risk, low reward. If Pochettino wants to maintain consistency, he could roll out the same first-choice lineup he has settled on and even bring Pulisic back into the mix, if healthy.
Given the level both teams have played to, this would likely secure a perfect 3-0-0 group stage for the USMNT, keeping confidence sky-high ahead of the knockouts. A top team selection would also please fans who spent thousands of dollars on tickets and are now forced to attend the meaningless matchup.
It would be high risk, and the reward wouldn’t go far beyond consistency and momentum, yet those are perhaps important factors to Pochettino’s project.
