Real talk: the USMNT already secured the bag. Heading into Thursday night's World Cup matchup against Turkey on June 25, 2026, the U.S. boys have already locked up their spot in the Round of 32. It doesn't even matter if they win, lose, or draw—the U.S. has already wrapped up the top spot in the group, making this final game a free run.

The squad put in major work early, taking down Paraguay and then handling business against Australia. Meanwhile, Turkey couldn't match the energy, catching two straight losses to those same teams. In that first game out in Inglewood, California on June 12, Folarin Balogun hit the back of the net for the second goal and celebrated with Weston McKennie, setting the tone for the whole run and showing everyone they weren't playing around.

But don't think they're about to just coast through this last game. The U.S. men have never won more than two games in a single World Cup. Getting a third win on Thursday would be huge, putting this squad in a lane they've never been in before—which is exactly what this confident group said they were going to do from the jump.

Defender Mark McKenzie kept it 100 on Wednesday when talking to the press. He made it clear that the group stage isn't finished yet, and they want to end it the same way they started. McKenzie said they want to keep that same momentum rolling into the next round, meaning they aren't trying to coast or take their foot off the gas.

Since the result won't change where they stand in the bracket, the coaches can play chess with the lineup. Under FIFA rules, if a player with a yellow card gets another one against Turkey, they get suspended for the Round of 32. Single yellow cards get wiped clean after the group stage anyway, so the staff is playing it smart.

This means the U.S. can rest their heavy hitters who are sitting on yellow cards: defenders Antonee Robinson and Chris Richards, midfielder Tyler Adams, and forward Folarin Balogun. There is no need to risk losing key players to a suspension when the hard work is already done and the next round is what really matters.

It also gives them a clean opportunity to get Christian Pulisic back in the rotation. Pulisic missed the Australia game with a minor calf injury, but he's expected to be ready to go on Thursday. This means they can ease him back onto the pitch without any pressure, making sure he's healthy for the real battle ahead.

On the other side, Turkey is hurting. They came into this World Cup with massive hype, labeled as the dark horse that was going to make a deep run with young ballers like Real Madrid’s 21-year-old Arda Güler and Juventus’s Kenan Yildiz. Instead, they got sent home early last week after losing to Paraguay right after the U.S. beat Australia. They folded when the lights got bright.

The early exit had the Turkish players apologizing to their fans who traveled out to support them. On Wednesday, Yildiz echoed those apologies, admitting the whole country was riding for them and promising they’re going to give it everything they’ve got on Thursday to go out with some pride, because nobody wants to leave empty-handed.

This game is also a rematch from a June 2025 friendly where Turkey got the best of the U.S. with a 2-1 win. But that U.S. roster was missing almost all the main stars, including Pulisic, Robinson, Balogun, and McKennie, so that result didn't show the whole story.

Defender Chris Richards brought up that friendly on Wednesday, pointing out that the U.S. played a bunch of young kids but still put up a fight and didn't get a result that matched how well they played. Richards made it clear that whoever steps onto the grass on Thursday is going to give 110 percent, no exceptions, to represent the squad right.

Sources: * Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) - Official Tournament Regulations * United States Soccer Federation (USSF) - National Team Match Records and Statistics * Turkish Football Federation (TFF) - National Team Player Registry and Performance Data