Pulisic Benched, Turner Starts for USMNT vs Türkiye
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- Christian Pulisic was listed among the substitutes for the U.S. group-stage finale against Türkiye, still managing a left calf injury first sustained on June 10.
- Brenden Aaronson took Pulisic's usual left-wing spot, with only Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi keeping their places from the previous 2-0 win over Australia that clinched top spot in Group D.
- Matt Turner got the start in goal over Matthew Freese, who had started the first two group games for the Americans.
- Pulisic attempted to play through the injury against Paraguay but was limited to 45 minutes after being kicked in the same spot, then sat out the Australia match before returning to full training this week.
- Mauricio Pochettino held Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards, and Antonee Robinson out of the starting XI because each was on a yellow card and risked suspension if booked again.
- Cristian Roldan was left out of the squad entirely due to a muscle strain, with Pulisic telling reporters he was "probably not ready" for 90 minutes.
Why it matters: With the U.S. already through as Group D winner, Pochettino used the Türkiye finale to manage yellow-card accumulation and Pulisic's calf — benching four starters who risked suspension and starting Aaronson over a star who has now missed three of the last four matches. The calculus is purely about having a full squad available for the knockout rounds, where Pulisic's minutes will be the single biggest variable.
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