Could Reyna, Aaronson make impact vs. Turkiye? Five keys for USMNT

Five Keys USMNT GFX

A spot in the knockout round is already secure, but, first, the U.S. must navigate a clash with a down-on-their-luck but motivated team.

There are so many complexities to the U.S. Men's National Team's final group stage game against Turkiye. Fortunately for the Americans, one of those complexities won't be at stake. They've won the group and can already look ahead to the knockout rounds. They earned that right in the first two games.

That fact opens up a new set of questions for Mauricio Pochettino, starting with the biggest one: how seriously will the U.S. take this match?

The answer is clear enough: seriously, but smartly. With first place already secured and neither side facing real consequences on Thursday, Pochettino has room to rotate. Those decisions will be made with caution, but not without purpose. Stakes or no stakes, Pochettino wants to keep winning - for his team, for momentum, and for an American public that is starting to believe in this group.

"My answer is to be sure that the team that is going to be out there tomorrow wants to eat the grass here in SoFi Stadium and play like it is the final of the World Cup," Pochettino said Thursday. "You say, 'how'? We need to find the way to arrive tomorrow and to provide the team with the best tools to go and to compete."

So what does that look like? GOAL looks at five keys to the USMNT's clash with Turkiye...

USA v Australia: Group D - FIFA World Cup 2026

The yellow card situation

Entering this game, there are four American players in danger of earning a suspension for yellow card accumulation. The big issue is that they are four of the USMNT's most crucial players.

Tyler Adams is the midfield lynchpin. Chris Richards is the top center back. Antonee Robinson has always been a weapon on the left while Folarin Balogun, up top, has been this team's breakout star this summer. All have earned yellow cards in the first two games. That means, with one more, they'd miss out on the Round of 32.

"Obviously, I want to play every game, hopefully every minute of every game, but I understand that things can happen and some things are out of my control," Richards said Thursday. "I don't know what tomorrow's gonna look like when it comes to lineup, but I know, if I am playing, I'll do my very, very best not to get a yellow.

"Ultimately, I'm not sure if he's gonna risk us guys who are on a yellow, so yeah, it's a tough, tough dynamic right now."

It really isn't that tough because all four players are, to put it bluntly, irreplaceable. That's why it would never be worth the risk to play them in this game. With that in mind, expect a heavily-rotated USMNT XI, one dictated by at least four switches that must be made out of an abundance of caution.

"I think it's easy to answer for the guys that have yellow cards," Pochettino said. "I think it's unnecessary to take a risk and then take another yellow card and not be available for the next stage. I think that is a little bit of a normal and easy answer: not to play with them from the beginning."

USA v Paraguay: Group D - FIFA World Cup 2026

Freese to stay in goal?

Again, rotation is expected. There's no need to risk key players in a game that, ultimately, does nothing tangible to help the U.S. going forward. But are there tangible benefits for someone like Matt Freese if he retains his spot in goal?

Freese's ascendancy to the starting role, coincidentally, began against Turkiye last summer. Now, just over a year later, he has 17 caps to his name, two of which have come in this summer's tournament. He has experience, for sure, but, in the grand scheme of things, Freese is still so new to the international game.

There would be reasons to give the other two goalkeepers in camp a start, of course. Matt Turner deserves it, both for being a good soldier and for his general performances in MLS. Chris Brady, meanwhile, is the only member of the goalkeeping trio not to appear in a World Cup yet, and an opportunity to see the field would surely be a dream come true.

This isn't quite the time for feel-good stories, though. If Pochettino believes starting Freese will better prepare him for the knockout stage, then you can expect to see the NYCFC shot-stopper in net for a third-straight World Cup game.

"It's the coach's decision, obviously," Freese said this week. "We've got 26 guys here who all want to play and who all are ready to play, and working hard every day in training. We, as a group, have full confidence in all 26 of us, so we're really just focused on continuing to prepare, work hard in training, and be ready for whatever."

turkey

What's up with Turkiye?

If you haven't seen the statistics behind Turkiye's downfall this summer, there's one that stands out. Through the first two games, they had more shots, 62, than any other team in the World Cup. Thirteen of those shots were on target. The problem, though, was that precisely zero of them went in, which is why the team is headed home early.

Clearly, Turkiye can play. They can create and generate chances, particularly from star midfielders Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz. They just haven't been able to convert any of those chances. Thursday is another day for them, though. Might it be different?

What really matters is how Turkiye show up. Are they determined to end this World Cup on something of a high by proving that those first two games were flukes? Or do they wilt and whither and mail it in with nothing to really play for and emotions in the dumps due to a premature World Cup exit?

"It's a World Cup match," Pochettino said. "When you defend your jersey, your flag, your culture, it always is about pride. I have no doubt that the Turkish team is going to be competitive tomorrow. They have good players. Of course, they are eliminated, but I think it's going to be a tough game. We are not thinking that it's going to be a game that is going to be easy."

In many ways, it's Turkiye that will dictate what the game will look like. Will it be energetic and physical, or will it just be two teams going through the motions? Ay-Yıldızlılar, ultimately, will be crucial in setting that tone.

Gio Reyna USMNT World Cup 2026 Paraguay goal

The chance-creators

The aforementioned Yildiz and Guler are spectacular. Despite how the results have gone, those two midfielders are two of the best young players in the world. Both have incredibly bright futures and, in the present, both are emerging as some of the game's most dangerous attacking midfielders.

The U.S. has some dangerous players in that position, too. What can they do on Thursday?

With Christian Pulisic's injury, he seems unlikely to play. Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman, too, could possibly use a rest after running the show from the midfield in the opening two games. Sergino Dest has also been a handful for every defender he's faces in a more advanced winger role.

Still, the U.S. could lean on Gio Reyna, Alex Zendejas, or Brenden Aaronson in those No. 10 roles, while Tim Weah could also enter the XI high up as a winger.

Breaking down Turkiye won't be easy. They've conceded three goals, yes, but all three came, largely, against the run of play. It'll be interesting, then, to see how the U.S. goes about creating chances, no matter who's on the field.

"We need to perform tomorrow," Pochettino said. "We need to perform, and I have no doubt that the team that is going to play is going to perform."

USA Training Session - FIFA World Cup 2026

Christian and Cristian

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Christian Pulisic said he is available to play if called upon after missing the Australia game. Pochettino was asked if the star winger could feature, and he didn't rule it out.

"Christian Pulisic is now talking with the medical area," Pochettino said. "He is available, and then we need to decide if it's possible to play from the beginning or be on the bench and have the possibility, maybe to play in the second half."

The only other injury concern for the USMNT is Cristian Roldan, who, if fit, would seem like a likely candidate to slide into midfield. However, the midfielder has been day-to-day all week and did not begin training with the rest of his team on Tuesday.

"Cristian Roldan is going to be assessed tomorrow, if he can be available," Pochettino said. "Small issue in his quad, but I think he's evolving pretty well. If it is not for tomorrow, hopefully, for next week."