Los Angeles, June 24: Turkey arrive at SoFi Stadium with their tournament life on the line, facing a United States side that has already wrapped up top spot in Group D and is playing in front of a raucous home crowd.
The mathematics are brutally simple. USA sit top of Group D with six points from two games and are already through, while Turkey are rooted to the bottom with no points and a goal difference of minus three. For Turkey, only a win gives them any realistic hope of advancing as one of the best third-placed teams, making this effectively a must-win fixture.
The US, with qualification secured, can afford to rotate and experiment, but Mauricio Pochettino will also want to protect momentum and keep the winning habit ahead of the knockout rounds.
Turkey’s return to the World Cup after a 24-year absence has been a difficult one. Vincenzo Montella’s side were beaten 2-0 by Australia and then fell 1-0 to Paraguay, failing to find the net in either game.
Turkey will need to find something they have not yet shown at this World Cup: a cutting edge in front of goal. Hakan Calhanoğlu, Arda Guler, and Kenan Yildiz are all capable of moments of genuine quality, but the team’s collective attacking output has been non-existent so far.
Against a United States backline that has conceded just one goal across two games, a Turkey breakthrough looks difficult to engineer, and the gap in momentum between the two sides could prove decisive. (Agenicies)
