The United States conceded a goal in stoppage time to lose 3-2 to Turkey on Thursday, but coach Mauricio Pochettino said there was little cause for concern after his side still finished top of the World Cup group.
The US faces Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 in Santa Clara on Wednesday, and Pochettino was frustrated as much of the post-match discussion focused on the defeat rather than the co-host achieving his main goal of winning Group D.
“At the moment no one congratulated us for finishing first in our group,” Pochettino told reporters. “I congratulate the players, staff and fans for finishing first in a very difficult group.”
Turkey had been eliminated before kick-off, but the Argentine said the atmosphere after the match was as if his team were going home.
“Our goal was to finish first, and we finished first,” he said. «I’m so positive and I’m happy. Your questions are a bit strange.»
Pochettino said the defeat had to be taken in context, with the US having already reached the knockout stages and making major changes to the starting line-up after wins over Paraguay and Australia.
“Any time a team has already qualified and another team has already been eliminated, there are so many situations that come into play,” he added.
Pochettino said the performance reinforced his belief in the depth of the squad, with several players making their World Cup debuts.
“We’re a much better team now than we were before,” he said. «We qualified as number one and advanced to the next round. I must remind you that we won the group.»
Published on June 26, 2026
