INGLEWOOD, Calif. — With nothing at stake in the final Group D match Thursday against Türkiye, U.S coach Mauricio Pochettino plans to sit the four starters who are in jeopardy of suspension for the start of the World Cup knockout stage.
He will make careful decisions about star forward Christian Pulisic, who is returning from a calf injury, and potential starter Cristian Roldan, who is nursing a quadriceps ailment.
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He’ll gauge the fitness levels of players who have logged major minutes through the first two matches or are feeling the physical effects after a long club season in Europe and a month with the national team.
First and foremost, Pochettino wants his team in prime condition for the Round of 32 game on Wednesday in Santa Clara, California.
That said, he is not dismissing Thursday’s match at SoFi Stadium either.
“I need to be sure the team that is going to be [on the field] wants to eat the grass here in the SoFi and play [as if it’s] the final of the World Cup,” Pochettino said at his news conference Wednesday. “We need to perform, and I have no doubt the team that is going to play is going to perform.”
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Pochettino is not expected to turn over the entire lineup. Goalkeeper Matt Freese, who wasn’t tested much in the first two matches, will probably retain his spot. For positional purposes, Pochettino might very well stick with the versatile Weston McKennie. He is likely to turn again to striker Ricardo Pepi, who replaced the injured Pulisic against Australia last Friday in Seattle.
Opportunity might knock for players such as midfielders Sebastian Berhalter and Gio Reyna, second-half sub in the first two matches; midfielder Brenden Aaronson; wingers Tim Weah and Max Arfsten; forward Haji Wright; center backs Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty and Miles Robinson; and wing back/center back Joe Scally.
Available to play after 12 days of recovery, Pulisic seems on track to get into the match at some point. Roldan would’ve been a natural replacement for Adams, who is carrying a yellow card, but his injury has cast doubt on his availability. Roldan hasn’t trained with the full group this week.
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Center back Chris Richards, left wing back Antonee Robinson and striker Folarin Balogun also received yellow cards in one of the first two matches. Yellow cards that do not result in a suspension are wiped out after the group stage. Hence, it’s in Pochettino’s best interests to not play any of them at any point.
Though Türkiye was eliminated from contention with two losses, Pochettino expects a difficult match.
“It’s a World Cup match,” Pochettino said. “When you defend your jersey, your flag, your culture, it’s always about pride. I have no doubt the Turkish team is going to be competitive. … We are not thinking it’s going to be a game that’s going to be easy.”
