USMNT vs. Turkey: Will Poch go full squad rotation for the group stage finale?
It's not worth it to risk any of the guys carrying a yellow, but beyond that? It's anyone's guess what Poch is thinking
I don’t know what to write.
I’ve never been in this position, and neither have you. The US men’s national team hasn’t just punched their ticket to the knockout rounds after two games, they’ve officially topped the group. They have nothing to play for in game three tomorrow night against Turkey except pride and the avoidance of yellow cards. It is a true dead rubber. I don’t know what to do with my hands!
Given all of this, I don’t see the point of a tactical preview. (Also, given Turkey’s lack of tactical discipline thus far). I will instead just run down a list of stuff I’m thinking about heading into this game. Here we go:
• The last time the US faced a team with nothing to play for in the final match of the group stage was 2002 against Poland, and you could see very clearly the US thought it was going to be a friendly. Poland, on the other hand, thought it was a chance to kick the US's ass. And then they did.
Mauricio Pochettino (and me, also me) will lose his shit if this team makes that same mistake. Now, in 2002 the US still had plenty to play for – they famously needed a late, miracle goal from South Korea to go through – while this version of the US, once again, does not. But I believe in both momentum and vibes, and a limp performance from the back-ups that results in a multi-goal loss would be really, really bad for both.
