Five keys to USMNT vs Turkey: The match may be a friendly, but there are real stakes here for Pochettino's depleted team
The U.S. men's national team's toughest game of the summer may very well be its first one. It may not be the most important, particularly with a Gold Cup looming. But Saturday's match against Turkey presents the type of challenge the USMNT need on the road to 2026 – a tough, talented, top-30 global opponent.
And those types of games will be in short supply between now and the World Cup kickoff next June.
Turkey are a proven commodity, a team that, on its day, can challenge anyone. They went to the Euro 2024 quarterfinals last summer, falling to an elite Netherlands team after squandering an early lead. In the 10 months or so since, they've lost just once.
The USMNT's loss in the CONCACAF Nations League left a mark, and the absence of multiple key stars for this summer's run doesn't help. Now, though, the 26 players that are in camp will be eager to prove themselves – and Turkey provide a perfect platform to do just that.
GOAL looks at five keys to the USMNT's friendly vs Turkey.
Getty ImagesFinding the intensity
There's no doubt about it: the disappointment from Nations League still lingers. If you think about it, so does the frustration over the 2024 Copa America exit.
This summer and the upcoming Gold Cup can't erase history, but winning cures all, right?
In the months since the USMNT was upset by Panama and then taken down by Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals and third-place match, respectively, the message has been clear, and unanimous: not good enough.
No real excuses, no pointing to luck, good or bad. The message has largely been consistent: the USMNT failed to live up to expectations – their own, and others' – and now is the chance to redeem themselves. And even with a roster depleted by injury and Club World Cup commitments – among those missing are Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Antonee Robinson, Tim Weah, Yunus Musah, Gio Reyna, Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi – coach Mauricio Pochettino is focused on making corrections, and winning.
"I think we need to respect the players that are here. We need to respect every single player and see if we are good enough," he said Friday. "I will let you know after. We weren't good enough to win the Nations League. We were not good enough – if we go back to the World Cup – we were not good enough to win the World Cup in 2022. I think we cannot judge or analyze in this way. I think we need to wait, and then if we win, so happy. If we don't win, you can criticize."
That sentiment is not just coach-speak. It's echoed by the players, those who know that the road to the ultimate goal – the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Mexico and Canada – starts here, a year out.
"I think for us, the end-all be-all of that camp was that it wasn't good enough from anybody," goalkeeper Matt Turner said, looking back at the Nation's League results. "We looked at it internally after that, and, look, we can lose, but there's a way to lose. I think that what we showed on the pitch to our fans wasn't anywhere near good enough in terms of mentality and intensity.
"When you lose, you go so long between games that you think a lot about what could have gone differently and you analyze every aspect of the environment and player selection and all of that. For us, we know from player one to player 60, however, many of us are in this pool, the minimum standard is to show up and be intense. And we lacked that."
That will need to be the baseline this summer, but particularly in a pair of friendlies – the USMNT take on Turkey Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Connecticut, and then Switzerland next Tuesday in Nashville. The pressure will be on. If they don't perform, the mood will be soured before the Gold Cup even begins.
Optics don't mean everything, but they do matter, especially at this U.S. group looks to atone for the mistakes of March.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportNewcomer nerves
A quick glance at the roster yields one takeaway: this group's filled with players lacking USMNT experience. In total, 13 of the 26 have five or fewer caps. Seven are uncapped. Even by Gold Cup standards, this roster is young. It's the third-youngest USMNT roster ever for one of these tournaments, while just five players in the team have Gold Cup experience.
Add one further stat to the mix: this team averages just 16 caps per player, and that's including vets like Tim Ream, Walker Zimmerman and Tyler Adams in that mix.
"I think that is a roster that is the best roster today, to defend ourselves and try to translate to the people good emotion and show that," Pochettino said. "I think we have quality players. Now we need to build a team that fights for each other and shows that we have the quality."
So much of this team is going to be learning on the fly and, for those with little USMNT experience, this Turkey team is going to be the toughest test they've faced in a USMNT shirt.
The good news is that these friendlies will allow the newer faces to adjust before the Gold Cup kicks off. They'll also get tested by teams that are generally more talented than most of the sides they'll face in CONCACAF this summer.
Both Turkey (27) and Switzerland (20) are inside the top 27 in the FIFA men's world rankings. For comparison, that would make those teams the third- and fourth-highest-ranked teams in CONCACAF, behind only the USMNT (16th) and Mexico (17th). Turkey are a dangerous team, one with the experience and star power to overwhelm any newcomers with nerves.
Getty ImagesDealing with Turkey's stars
Right now, Turkey have two of the most promising young players in the world: Juventus' Kenan Yildiz and Real Madrid's Arda Guler. They also have plenty of talent surrounding them, namely Inter star Hakan Calhanoglu, the team's captain. Keeping them quiet? No easy feat.
Tyler Adams, who will likely battle Calhanoglu frequently in the center of midfield, will be key. As one of the team's most experienced players, and likely the team's captain, Adams will be in charge of setting a tone. Just as importantly, though, he'll be in charge of finding balance as Turkey looks to get its stars involved.
Yildiz and Guler, should they play, are elite creators, ones that will give any team in the world headaches. This Turkey team will be no pushover, and the U.S. will not have an overwhelming amount of possession as they did against, say, Panama in March.
Realistically, this will be a game of moments. Both teams will create them. Can the U.S. make the most of theirs while having the awareness to recognize and deny Turkey's danger?
Getty ImagesMaking sense of the attack
If you were to draw up the ideal USMNT attack, it's safe to say this wouldn't be it. That's no disrespect to the players in camp, but when stars such as Pulisic, Weah, Pepi and Balogun are missing, that's just a fact.
Outside of January camp, Pulisic, Weah and Pepi have scored all but three of the USMNT's goals since Pochettino's arrival. That's a lot of firepower missing. The U.S. will need to find it from somewhere. Turkey, meanwhile, have an experienced defense, one headlined by veterans Merih Demiral, Caglar Soyoncu and Zerk Celik. The won't be intimidated by an attacking unit that plays almost exclusively in MLS and in second divisions.
It's up to the players in that attack to both initiate and intimidate. Patrick Agyemang is a handful, as is Haji Wright. Brian White has been in great form all season. Damion Downs is a bit of a mystery, but playmakers such as Diego Luna, Paxten Aaronson and Malik Tillman should be able to get involved.
It'll be a different look, one that lacks the pure pace of a group led by Pulisic and Weah. How will this group stack up against a decent defense?
