The United States men’s national team (USMNT) suffered their third straight loss under coach Mauricio Pochettino after a 2-1 defeat to Türkiye in a friendly match held in Hartford, Connecticut on Saturday. Following losses to Panama and Canada earlier this year, Pochettino’s USA soccer side once again fell short, this time in front of a home crowd.
Despite missing several starters including captain Christian Pulisic, coach Mauricio Pochettino used this match to test new and fringe players ahead of the World Cup, which the USA is co-hosting next year. One standout was 21-year-old Houston Dynamo midfielder Jack McGlynn, who scored a spectacular goal in the second minute. Picking up the ball on the right, McGlynn cut inside and curled a beautiful 20-yard shot into the far corner to give USA soccer an early lead.
Türkiye soon settled into the game and put heavy pressure on the USA defense. They created multiple chances before scoring their first goal in the 24th minute. USA midfielder Johnny Cardoso made a costly error when a clipped pass deflected off Arda Guler and slipped past debut goalkeeper Matt Freese. Just three minutes later, Türkiye took the lead with Kerem Akturkoglu finishing a loose ball after the USA defense failed to clear.
After halftime, USA soccer played better and created chances to level the score. Max Arfsten narrowly missed with a close-range header, and Patrick Agyemang had a shot on target. The best chance came from Malik Tillman, who headed a perfect cross from substitute Tyler Adams but shot straight at Türkiye’s keeper Berke Ozer. Turkey almost sealed the win late on but Baris Alper Yilmaz missed the target on a quick counter.
Midfielder Tyler Adams highlighted the positives despite the loss. “For the first time in a few camps, there were more positives than negatives,” Adams said. He added that the team has “a lot of room for growth” and believes they are moving in the right direction after a better performance compared to March.
The USA soccer team now turns their attention to their next friendly against Switzerland in Nashville on Tuesday.
