Pochettino Hints at Major USMNT Rotation for World Cup Finale Against Turkiye

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – U.S. men's national team head coach will name a rotated starting lineup for Thursday's World Cup game against Turkiye , their Group D finale a dead-rubber match after they already topped the group and their opponents were already mathematically eliminated.

Pochettino's decision was chiefly influenced by the fact that four players carry yellow cards into Thursday's game at SoFi Stadium – defenders Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson, midfielder Tyler Adams and forward Folarin Balogun. Another booking against Turkiye would mean they would be suspended for the USMNT 's round of 32 match on July 1 against an opponent that is yet to be determined.

"I think it's an easy answer for the guys that have yellow cards," Pochettino said in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday "I think it's unnecessary to take a risk and then [they] take another yellow card and be not available for the next stage and I think that is a little bit [of a] normal and easy answer not to play with them from the beginning."

There are also still fitness questions around two other players, forward Christian Pulisic and midfielder Cristian Roldan. Pulisic declared himself fit on Wednesday and has completed three days of training this week, doing so after picking up a calf issue that resulted in his halftime substitution in a 4-1 win over Paraguay on June 12 and ensured he would miss out on Friday's 2-0 win over Australia . Roldan, meanwhile, is dealing with a muscle strain that has been described as day-to-day. He has not trained all week but Pochettino said further consultation with the medical staff is required before deciding on a role for both players against Turkiye.

"Cristian Roldan, we need to assess tomorrow if he can be available," Pochettino said. "Small issue in his quad but I think it's evolving really well. If he's not [fit] for tomorrow, hope [he can be] for the next week and Christian Pulisic is now talking with the medical area. He's available and then we need to decide if it's possible to play the full game [or] be on the bench and have the [possibility] maybe to play in the second half."

Pochettino's decisions mean several spots will be open for grabs on Thursday, the game providing an important opportunity to prove they should be starters once the knockout stages begin. It also offers the coach a chance to roll out one final experiment after nearly two years of tinkering with his personnel and his tactics. That is especially true in midfield – Adams is an anchor of the U.S. midfield and the team has routinely struggled without him in the build-up to the World Cup. There is no true backup for him, either, and the calculation changes if Roldan is unable to play. Pochettino insists he has options, though, and a wide variety of them.

"When we talk about midfielders, it was like it was compulsory to play with a holding midfielder, a defensive, holding midfielder but when you see Spain or different teams, they don't play with a defensive midfielder," Pochettino said. "They play with players that play really well, midfielders that understand the game and for us, it's about balance but of course, we have players that we can [be] involved – play like a midfielder, deep, and then progress. I think the most important is in the philosophy and your ideas. If you want to pass the ball and dominate the opponent, you need players that can play and understand the game in space, not the positional game.

"I think we have plenty of players like Gio Reyna or Weston McKennie or Sebastian Berhalter or Malik Tillman – even players like [defenders] Sergino Dest or Joe Scally or even Auston Trusty. In some moments in our system, in our build-up, they can go to the middle and they are very good players that understand positional game and what they need to do. I think we are good and it's not going to be a problem."

Berhalter seems most likely to get the nod in midfield, while forward Ricardo Pepi seems poised for a second straight start after a successful outing in Pulisic's place against Australia . Defender Max Arfsten seems most likely to fill Robinson's place while Pochettino is inclined to go a few different ways on Richards' spot – Mark McKenzie started alongside Tim Ream and Alex Freeman in their penultimate friendly before the World Cup, a 3-2 win over Senegal , while Miles Robinson filled in during the subsequent game, a 2-1 loss to Germany .

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/usmnts-mauricio-pochettino-heavy-rotation-2026-world-cup-clash-turkiye/)._