As far as results are concerned, things could have gone much better for the United States men’s national team in the last international window.
Not only did the US lose both of its friendlies against Belgium and Portugal, but Turkey’s draw in Group D made its path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage much more difficult.
“I’m talking to them,” David Mosse said on the latest episode of “State of the Union.” “They’re a fair team. They got to the quarterfinals of the Euros. The only reason they were in this playoff was because they were in the same group as Spain… I think it’s going to be a tough, tough game for the U.S.”
Turkey punched their ticket to the World Cup with a 1–0 win over Kosovo in the 2026 World Cup European Playoff final. Its performance in the tournament saw it rise from 25th to 22nd in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings. Meanwhile, the US dropped from 15 to 16.
Kosova vs Turkey FIFA World Cup™ UEFA Qualifier Highlights ⚽️ Fox Soccer
The United States won’t see Turkey until the final match of the group stage, but that will arguably make things more complicated for an American team that has lost its last eight consecutive matches against European competition.
“That first game now is absolutely paramount for America,” Stone said. “Not that it hasn’t happened in the beginning, but if you falter out of the gate in L.A. against Paraguay — uh oh. And like a Real Big Uh oh, because you’ve got to take care of your business before seeing Turkiye in LA to close out the group stage.
“I think Turkiye is the favorite. I think they’re going to win their first two games pretty comfortably. I think for the US, it’s going to be more of a struggle. Can they win those two games? Absolutely. Should the US advance? Absolutely, but I think Turkiye is the favorite right now – OK. Now. There’s still a lot of time left.”
Meanwhile, Lalas is still optimistic on the United States’ chances of advancing and winning Group D.
“I would put this group up against any other group in the past, not only in terms of coming out, but winning the group,” Lalas said. “I think this team will rise to the occasion, despite the problems we’re talking about right now.”
If the US does not win Group D, its hopes of advancing to its first World Cup quarterfinal are greatly diminished, despite the home crowd advantage.
“There’s a big advantage to winning your group,” Stone said. “The way has been paved for the US in red carpet fashion and it’s all riding on the fact that they win the group. If they don’t do that then things become a lot more challenging.”
The United States will play Turkey in its group stage final on June 25 at Los Angeles Stadium.
“We welcome Turkey to the World Cup, we welcome Turkey, and we want to beat them,” Lalas said.
