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With almost the last kick of the game, the United States men's national team lost to Türkiye 2-2 in Los Angeles on Thursday. Christian Pulisic made his return to the pitch following a thigh injury as Mauricio Pochettino heavily rotated to a good effect. Only two starters from the USMNT's victory over Australia kept their places: Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi. Kaan Ayhan snatched the game in the 98th minute of play, stopping the United States from going undefeated during the group stage.
It only took three minutes for Senastian Berhater to deliver an assist for Auston Trusty's first goal of his national team career before Türkiye's 63rd shot of the tournament beat Matt Turner and the defense to level the game only 10 minutes in. The sloppiness would continue with Orkun Kokcu giving Türkiye a lead going into the half, but right after the half, Berhalter hit an absolute belter from outside the box to become the first USMNT player to record a goal and an assist in the World Cup in the modern era.
While there's plenty of room for improvement, Pochettino ran out the B team, and they got a real test, facing a Türkiye side that was already knocked out. Now preparation shifts to July first when the United States will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara when the World Cup truly gets real as the round of 32 and the knockout stage begins