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Türkiye Ends Group-Stage Goal Drought With 3-2 Win Over United States
The United States lost to Türkiye 3-2 in a World Cup group-stage match on June 26, 2026, in Inglewood, California. Kaan Ayhan scored the winner on the last kick after the U.S. had already secured first place in its group.
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The United States lost to Türkiye 3-2 in a World Cup group-stage match on June 26, 2026, in Inglewood, California, ESPN reported. Kaan Ayhan scored the winning goal on the final kick during a scramble in front of the net. Auston Trusty scored for the United States in the third minute from a corner kick by Sebastian Berhalter.
Arda Güler equalized for Türkiye in the 10th minute after Mark McKenzie lost position twice on the same sequence. Orkun Kökçü gave Türkiye the lead around the 30-minute mark after Eren Elmali beat Joe Scally on the wing and delivered a cross. Christian Pulisic entered just before the hour mark and created several opportunities.
He struck a shot off the post after accelerating onto a long diagonal ball, forced a sharp save from Ugurcan Çakir moments later, and sent a left-footed attempt from distance wide with 15 minutes remaining. The United States had already qualified for the round of 32 before kickoff and finished the group stage with three wins.
Nine players started who had not started the previous two matches, including Trusty.
Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Folarin Balogun, Pulisic, and Malik Tillman did not start. Several regulars were rested to avoid accumulating yellow cards that would trigger suspensions. The United States will face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32 on Wednesday in Santa Clara, California.
Attendance at the match was 70,492. "I felt healthy, I felt good, so it was really nice to be back with the team and get some minutes," Pulisic told Fox.
