The United States takes on Türkiye, but the USA has already won its group, which changes the outlook of this match.
Of course, momentum matters, but the real goal is simple: get through this match unscathed, rotate in fresh legs and give the full-time starters a break before the Round of 32.
It’s also important to note that Antonee Robinson, Folarin Balogun, Tyler Adams and Chris Richards are all sitting on a yellow card, so it would make sense for them to be excused from this matchup to avoid picking up a second yellow and missing the Round of 32 match.
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Everything has been going great for the United States.
The Americans looked dominant in their opener against Paraguay and matched that intensity in their second match against Australia.
The way this team has played has American fans believing the USMNT is here to stay and a real contender.
On the other hand, there are Türkiye fans who are disappointed.
Their country leads the World Cup in shots taken through two matches, yet has still not scored a goal.
It has been one of the more disappointing starts to the tournament for a young team that many viewed as a dark horse contender.
But this is also the spot where I expect Türkiye to show up.
The United States has nothing to play for and Türkiye has everything to play for, mainly its pride.
This is a proud nation, and I have a hard time believing it is going to pack it in against a United States reserve squad.
It’s asking a lot to expect a rotated USMNT side to be fully motivated against a team playing for the pride of a country.
So despite how un-American this might feel, I have to take Türkiye.
Whether you like it or not, there has to be some objectivity in this match.
Türkiye is the only team with something to play for, and it is probably the only team that gives maximum effort from the opening whistle to full-time.
Sources: Fox Sports
