According to the match report, Christian Pulisic’s return to the United States men’s national team in Inglewood mirrored the group’s night: a terrific start and a poor finish, leaving focus on what comes next in the World Cup.
Pulisic came on in the co-hosts’ final group match against Türkiye for the first time since halftime of the U.S. opener. He was energetic and aggressive, smashing a shot off the post and showing little sign of the calf injury that had sidelined him, playing with vibrancy and purpose.
The Americans struck early, three minutes in, when Auston Trusty finished from a sharply delivered Sebastian Berhalter corner. Pulisic immediately created chances, zooming down the left flank, whipping past a defender and forcing a reflex save from the goalkeeper. Teammates lauded his impact: Brenden Aaronson said, “Christian’s a fantastic player… he was electric as always,” and Tim Weah added, “Christian deserves all the love that he’s getting. He’s the guy.” Pulisic did not stop to speak with reporters after the match.
The finish unraveled late. Pulisic was nutmegged by Türkiye star Arda Güler near the top of the penalty area to begin a sequence that ended with a scramble in front of goal and Kaan Ayhan pushing the ball past Matt Turner eight minutes into added time, giving already-eliminated Türkiye a 3-2 win. Defender Chris Richards said, “We’re just using this as a learning opportunity, rather than a gut punch.” The U.S. had fielded a lineup of mostly reserves after clinching first place in the group and a knockout-round spot.
According to the match report, the most important phase of the home World Cup begins Wednesday when Mauricio Pochettino’s side faces Bosnia-Herzegovina in the knockout stage, where the U.S. will attempt to win just its second knockout match in modern World Cup history with Pulisic back available.
