Key events
72 min McKennie’s Juventus teammate Yıldız beats Scally and unleashes a shot that curls just past the far post.
71 min Play resumes before I can finish the analogy and it’s a terrifying Turkish counter. Turner has to come out and play with his feet. It’s blocked and bounds into the box, but Turner out runs everyone to the ball.
USA immediately the other way to Aaronson, who loses the ball in the box.
An analogy for this game: Imagine a high school junior varsity game that has a couple of players moonlighting from the varsity. But one team has its hotshot sophomore dominating things until the other team brings in the kid who has barely played in high school at all because he’s in a pro academy.
67 min So many whistles! It’s a free kick! It’s a substitution! But wait – it’s hydration time!
66 min As I was saying – Turkey are dangerous on the counter, and Trusty has to come in from the left to the center to clear a ball a few yards in front of goal.
66 min McKennie gets a head to the corner kick, but he’s not really in position to get it on frame.
Replay shows Çakır got a fingertip to it. I think it would’ve hit the post anyway. And Pulisic didn’t shoot as much as he had the ball clanged off his shin. Would’ve been a wondrous fluke goal.
Çakır is hurt.
This half has been one-way traffic, but Turkey have looked dangerous on the counter.
63 min Turkey are essentially double-teaming Pulisic now.
But he drifts to the center and PUTS A SHOT OFF THE POST! Rebound to McKennie, blocked out for a corner.
Ugurcan Cakir watches the shot of Christian Pulisic come back off the post. Photograph: Matthew Childs/ReutersShare
Updated at 23.33 EDT
62 min Berhalter springs Pulisic, who skips past a defender. His shot is saved, but the keeper has left the goal gaping. Aaronson rushes his shot on the rebound and sends it wide.
60 min Pulisic has it. The USA cycle the ball around, and Reyna chips it to him in space. The crowd roars and …
… his shot is deflected for a corner.
59 min Robinson again turns on the wheels to win a ball and stop a Turkish attack.
SharePulisic is in
58 min Here comes the man who shredded Paraguay in his 45 minutes of action so far. Still young and among the USA’s all-time leading scorers.
Mauricio Pochettino gives instructions to Christian Pulisic before he replaces Timothy Weah in attack. Photograph: Kiyoshi Mio/IMAGN IMAGES/ReutersShare
Updated at 23.25 EDT
Mary Waltz
double quotation markThis is becoming a very physical game and I don’t thinks the refs have control of it. I would pull McKennie and I would keep Pulisic on the bench. This fixture does not matter.
I have some bad news for you …
57 min Now Scally is offside.
Johnathan Kaszynski
double quotation markHave any of the reserves played their way into consideration for the knockout rounds? Not for me, yet.
I think Pepi will resume his supersub role. I think Weah has played his way out of the rotation entirely. Berhalter and Reyna may be adequate subs as well.
55 min Weah with a good hustle play to keep a ball in play for Pepi.
Robinson disrupts a Turkish counter.
54 min I think a US player just fouled another US player, but that’s an optical illusion. Berhalter was fouled once again, and it’s a free kick.
53 min Free kick played out left to Weah, and cue cursing in every living room in the United States as he’s offside again!
52 min Aaronson with a through ball for Pepi, but he’s literally kept at arm’s length as the ball is shielded back to the keeper.
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Jeff Rueter
Throughout his career, the biggest questions about Sebastian Berhalter’s high-level readiness have been about his athleticism. He’s put in a ton of work on his agility and acceleration, but usually the slower players have to forge careers on their technique and mentality. He’s displayed both today, considerable end-product for a midfielder who plays as withdrawn as he does.
50 min Again, a second ball pops onto the field when a throw-in is supposed to be taken. This is happening a lot in this Cup, isn’t it?
ShareGoal! USA 2-2 Turkey (Berhalter 49)
Turkey just never cleared it. Çakır only punched a ball that he could’ve caught. There’s a scramble. It comes out to the top of the box. There are about eight people between Berhalter and the goal, but it doesn’t matter. He gets over the ball and rips it into the net.
Sebastian Berhalter equalises for the hosts! Photograph: Daniel Cole/Reuters Photograph: Matthew Childs/Reuters Photograph: Patrick T Fallon/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 23.18 EDT
48 min: Aaronson earned a corner. Played short, back to Berhalter, over the top, shot deflected high and … never mind …
47 min: Pepi helps extend a US attack. Aaronson is knocked down, no call. McKennie aggressively wins it back, no call. Weah works down the left and tries to pass back to a teammate but can’t find anyone.
46 min: And we’re off …
More mail
Jim:
double quotation markMaybe Fox can show some more celebrities in the crowd. Apparently they haven’t shown enough.
As I understand it, Fox doesn’t control the video. It’s the international feed. If someone can shed some light on that, please let me know.
Mary Waltz:
double quotation markI want USA to win this game. The players on the field are dying to win this game. But this game is a dead rubber. It doesn’t matter. Poch needs to avoid injuries, avoid yellow cards that lead to missing the next game
I just want karma to strike any coach who gets that out of line with dissent. But a red card would do nicely.
Name not clear:
double quotation markWeah is having a shocker. Poch has to get him out of there. He’s been painful to watch. Clear now why he is no longer a starter on this team…
A bit of news to digest before we restart:
Noteworthy: If the USA advance past Bosnia, they may very well face either Egypt or Iran in the round of 16.
Yes, there is a substantially better-than-zero chance of the USA facing the country with which they’ve been at war. At least it’s over. Right? I haven’t checked in the last five minutes, so I’m not sure.
I’ve checked in on the referee forum I frequent, and I think if I had to describe their take on this game’s referee so far, it would be “displeased.”
Granted, we’re all wondering how we’re supposed to keep coaches from running onto the field to protest calls when it’s not being punished at the World Cup.
The biggest issue here for the USA is that Arda Güler is the most highly touted player on this field for a reason. He’s tearing the midfield apart.
At the other end, it’s just painful watching Weah right now. He just can’t seem to control the ball or stay out of an offside position.
Halftime mail
Oliver Dungey:
double quotation markI was going to write a rather cynical message about Poch fielding a second XI to protect his first XI from a chastening defeat by a Turkish team that’s been humiliated by bad luck. After just 3 mins of play, however, I was overcome with – what’s the opposite of cynicism? Optimism? Faith? – whatever it is, it overcame me as I marveled at this American team’s tactic of attacking with more than 2.5 players (unlike the majority of the teams languishing in third place in their group table). But that’s just what the World Cup does though, doesn’t it: it converts cynicism into joy. Gets me every time.
Scott Bassett:
double quotation markWhat does Pochettino gain by allowing this helter-skelter performance to continue? This is madness. We need a US player to put his foot on the ball and control the pace. Allowing the team to try throwing haymakers for the whole game is a recipe for disaster.
Mary Waltz:
double quotation markI have never been a fan of taking a corner short instead of sending it into the mixer. Too clever by half.
Also leaves the possibility that someone will be offside on a return pass. But occasionally, the short pass creates a good shooting or crossing angle.
Peter Oh:
double quotation markRe: 45 min +5. I just finished playing pickup soccer at a park about 25 miles northeast of Sacramento and can report that we have not yet made visual contact with the Turkey clearance.
ShareHalftime: USA 1-2 Turkey
It’s an entertaining international friendly. That’s basically it.
The takeaways would start with the fact that the US defense just isn’t up to the challenge here. Trusty and Scally have done very well going forward, but they’re being beaten, and Robinson and McKenzie are struggling.
If winning was the most important thing here, you’d see Richards and Ream racing onto the field to start the second half. But keeping Richards from picking up a second group-stage yellow in a testy game is of the utmost importance.
45 min +5 Çakır clears. The ball will eventually land, probably somewhere near Sacramento.
45 min +4 Turner snares a high cross from Aydin, and the USA build slowly … never mind, Berhalter plays long for Weah, who is offside again.
45 min +3 Reyna earns another US corner. They don’t put a lot of numbers in the box, but Trusty somehow outleaps everyone and sends a header just over the bar.
45 min +2 A couple of giveaways, a long Turkish cross, but Scally marks it well and Turner collects.