It was the first time since 1950 that the Yanks had lost a Cup match after scoring first and it was a cautionary preview of what’s in store for them. Their road forward goes through Europe, which has been a graveyard for them in decades past.
Since the United States returned to this quadrennial festival of feet in 1990, it has played teams from the Continent 21 times. It has won once, beating Portugal, 3-2, in the 2002 group opener.
It’s possible that the Americans’ next three matches will be against European sides, each more difficult than the last. Bosnia-Herzegovina, which bested four-time champion Italy in a playoff to qualify, drew with Canada in Toronto and led with a dozen minutes to play.
If Belgium wins Group G on Friday night, the Red Devils, who torched the Americans, 5-2, in a March tuneup in Atlanta, could face them in the Round of 16. After that looms Spain, the reigning European champion and 2010 Cup victor.
For all the “Why Not Us?” effervescence emanating from their fellow citizens, the Americans would do well to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. That was the program’s high-water mark in the modern era, when the United States blanked Mexico before going out to Germany.
Since then, the Americans haven’t won a knockout game. In fact, they’ve won only one since the inaugural tournament in 1930.
While this US edition is demonstrably more talented than its predecessors, it has yet to face a top contender. Although Group D was the best-balanced in the tournament with all four teams among the top 41 in the global rankings, it includes no teams in the top 15.
Until now the Americans always had to face a heavyweight in the prelims. In 1990, it was Italy in Rome. In 1998, it was Germany in the opener, in 2002 Portugal, in 2006 the Italians again. In 2010, the United States began with England.
In 2014, the Americans were thrown in with Ghana, Portugal, and Germany in the Group of Death yet still managed to emerge.
Auston Trusty (center) and the United States will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in their next game at the World Cup.Gregory Bull/AP Photo/Gregory Bull
Advancement was easier this time because neither Paraguay nor Australia has the world-class forwards who can mount a sophisticated and dangerous attack. Turkey does.
The Crescent-Stars might have been shut out twice but they’d still taken 62 shots, the most without scoring a goal in consecutive matches in recorded Cup history.
After defender Auston Trusty slammed in Sebastian Berhalter’s corner to put the Yanks up after only three minutes, Arda Guler, Turkey’s young star, drew his mates even in the 10th.
Then Baris Yilmaz put them ahead in the 31st and the Americans, who hadn’t trailed in the tournament, were on the back foot.
Berhalter produced the equalizer in the 49th, and when Christian Pulisic, back in full stride after missing the last match with a tight calf muscle, came on for the final half-hour, it seemed that the United States could pull out a victory.
Then came yet another defensive breakdown and a killer goal by Kaan Ayhan just before Algerian referee Mustapha Ghorbal looked at his watch and blew his whistle.
Who can say what the outcome might have been had the squads stuck with their starting 11s as they would have had the match, as originally anticipated, had been a showdown for the top spot in the group?
US coach Mauricio Pochettino swapped out nine starters and counterpart Vincenzo Montella seven. But both sides still strove vigorously to win.
The Turks needed to leave the tournament with a reason to hold up their heads, and they produced one in dramatic fashion. The Americans wanted to win all three preliminary matches for the first time and keep the ball rolling into next week and beyond.
What they got instead was a jarring last-minute warning bell. Next time there won’t be another chance after a loss.
John Powers can be reached at [email protected].
