As Maurico Pochettino preps for the USA-Turkey match Thursday night, the manager has some decisions to make. Namely, what will the USMNT starting 11 look like? The game does not mean anything in the standings, as the U.S. is already on to the Knockout Stage, coming out of Group D in first place. Still, the squad is on the verge of history, looking to become the first American team to win its first three World Cup matches. And Poch surely wants to keep the momentum up ahead of the Round of 32 match on July 1.
Just to refresh your memory, this is what the USMNT starting 11 looked like in its first World Cup match against Paraguay:
Matt Freese, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Alex Freeman, Sergino Dest, Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman, Christian Pulisic, and Folarin Balogun. Subs: Sebastian Berhalter, Gio Reyna, Ricardo Pepi, Tim Weah
In their second match against Australia, the lineup looked like this:
Matt Freese, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Alex Freeman, Sergino Dest, Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi, and Folarin Balogun. Subs: Sebastian Berhalter, Gio Reyna, Haji Wright, Auston Trusty, Joe Scally
So, with nothing on the line except for history, momentum, and pride, and big things to come down the line, what will Pochettino’s starting 11 look like on Thursday night? Here are our predictions.
Goalkeeper — Matt Turner
This seems like the biggest no-brainer of all in the USMNT starting 11 vs. Turkey. Freese is playing well and will likely go the rest of the way in goal, so this is the perfect opportunity to get him some rest and get Matt Turner some reps. The veteran keeper who started for the team in the last World Cup is the next man up if Freese goes down, so getting him some live game action seems important.
Defense — Alex Freeman, Auston Trusty, Mark McKenzie
Richards is on a yellow card, and if he picks up another in the USA-Turkey tilt, he would miss the Round of 32 match, so he’s almost certainly out. Ream is 38, so rest is the most important thing with him. That leaves the 21-year-old Freeman as the lone holdover from the first two games. The thinking here is the opposite of Ream. Pochettino should prioritize keeping the young defender’s form high over getting him rest.
Midfield — Sebastian Berhalter, Tim Weah, Gio Reyna, Max Arfsten, Brenden Aaronson, Alejandro Zendejas
Berhalter has been the first man off the bench in both of the USMNT’s games in this World Cup, so slotting him in for Adams (who is on a yellow card) seems certain. After that, it’s Weah for Dest on one wing and Arfsten for Antonee Robinson (on a yellow) on the other.
After that, the attacking midfielders become Reyna, Aaronson, and Zendejas for McKennie, Tillman, and Pulisic/Pepi. If the game is tight at the end and Pochettino wants to go for the win, it wouldn’t be a shock if McKennie and/or Tillman get reinserted in the second half to give the squad a little boost.
Forward — Ricardo Pepi
Outside of Freeman, Pepi should be the only other player who has started a game to get the opening nod for USA-Turkey. Getting some reps alone at the top of the formation will be good for the striker as opposed to playing in a two-striker set as he did against Australia.
Pepi will play a bigger role for the USMNT in the Knockout Stage, so keeping his form up is more important than getting Wright reps.
Subs — Haji Wright, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, Christian Pulisic
While Pepi gets the start, Wright will come in during this match to get some run ahead of the Knockout Stage. Additionally, Pochettino will want to rest Pepi eventually and not have him play the whole game, and Balogun is not an option, as he has a yellow card on his record as well.
Robinson and Scally should also see some action on Thursday night. One of them will likely come for Freeman. If it’s Scally, then Robinson will likely replace Trusty or McKenzie. If Robinson comes in for Freeman, though, the Scally could sub out Weah or Arfsten.
Lastly, our final USA-Turkey prediction is that we see the return of Christian Pulisic on Thursday night. The USMNT star has battled injury, but reports are that he is ready to return. He is not ready to play 90 minutes by any means, but getting him on for the final 20-30 minutes of this match makes a lot of sense. The team is better with Captain America out there, and building up to an appearance in the Knockout Stage is the best course of action.
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