Pulisic Decision Looms as USMNT Prepare for Meaningless Turkey Clash

The United States head into Thursday's Group D finale against Turkey at Los Angeles Stadium with qualification already wrapped up and their sights firmly on the knockout round, though Mauricio Pochettino must navigate a minefield of suspension risks and fitness concerns.

Back-to-back victories have left the Americans sitting pretty atop their group. A 2-0 triumph over Australia in Seattle last Friday – complete with a sold-out crowd belting out John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" – followed a strong opening showing. Turkey's campaign, by contrast, lies in tatters after a 1-0 loss to Paraguay in Santa Clara on the same day, their second consecutive match without troubling the scoreboard.

The problem facing Pochettino isn't complacency but rather the suspension minefield. Forward Folarin Balogun, midfielder Tyler Adams, and defenders Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson are all carrying yellow cards heading into the dead rubber. A second booking means automatic absence from the next fixture, forcing the American boss to make some tough calls about whether to field his stars or wrap them in cotton wool.

"You don't want to go into a knockout round having a bad feeling about how the last game went," winger Max Arfsten told reporters on Tuesday. "Although we have advanced, I don't think it changes anything in terms of preparation or mentality. It's very important to try and continue to ride the wave of good performance."

The Americans have learned that lesson the hard way. At the 2002 World Cup, with their last-16 spot already secure, they were hammered 3-1 by Poland – who were already eliminated – a cautionary tale about taking the foot off the gas.

The real intrigue centres on Christian Pulisic. The talisman hasn't featured since limping off at half-time in the opener against Paraguay with a left calf issue, though he's returned to full training this week. Ricardo Pepi deputised against Australia, and Pochettino must now weigh whether to give Pulisic some minutes against Turkey or keep him wrapped up ahead of the knockout phase beginning July 1 in Santa Clara.

Turkey, appearing at a World Cup for the first time in 24 years, arrive desperate to salvage something from what's already become a campaign to forget. While their tournament is done, a victory over the co-hosts would at least provide some consolation on the flight home.