USA Player Ratings vs Turkey: Berhalter and Trusty Impress

Mauricio Pochettino rolled the dice with his lineup and got a mixed return as the United States fell to Turkey, a night that briefly promised more than it delivered.

Matt Turner’s surprise recall, Auston Trusty’s thumping header, Sebastian Berhalter’s rising stock – all of it framed by a defensive unit that never quite looked settled.

Here’s how the Americans rated.

Matt Turner – 4

Given a rare start and a massive audition, Turner could not lay a glove on any of the three efforts that beat him. None were outrageous howlers, but none were the sort of momentum-swinging saves a goalkeeper fighting for the No. 1 shirt needs to make.

He did read danger well off his line, sweeping up a couple of loose balls and reminding everyone why managers trust his positioning outside the box. He also joins a select group of US keepers to start in multiple World Cups, a notable line on the résumé. On this evidence, though, his case to start ahead of Matt Freese is hanging by a thread.

Joe Scally – 5

Scally offered the conservative, stay-at-home profile Pochettino clearly wanted, a sharp contrast to the more adventurous Sergiño Dest and Alex Freeman. The game often raced around him instead of through him.

Turkey’s second goal exposed him twice, first dragging him out of position and then punishing the space he left. When he did get forward, his crossing lacked bite and accuracy, rarely troubling the Turkish back line.

Mark McKenzie – 5

McKenzie never quite got to grips with the tempo. Turkey sliced past him too easily on the opening goal, and his long distribution rarely hit its intended targets, breaking any chance of quick transitions.

He did steer a poacher’s finish into the net from a corner, only to see it correctly chalked off for offside. With the ball at his feet in buildup, he repeatedly funneled play into midfield as instructed, but the burden of progression shifted wide, leaving him more functional than influential.

Miles Robinson – 5

The early stages were jittery. Every time the ball drifted toward his zone in the first 20 minutes, Robinson looked a touch off the pace, a half-second late in his decisions.

Once he settled, the panic eased, but his numbers told a harsher story. He led the team in “phases lost,” according to Futi, through a mix of errant passes and hesitation in possession. The raw defensive tools are still there; the sharpness is not.

Auston Trusty – 7

Trusty is not a natural wing-back, and it shows when he’s asked to patrol the full width. Put him in the box, though, and he looks right at home. His towering header from a corner delivered the opening goal, a classic center-back’s finish that briefly swung the night the USA’s way.

Beyond the goal, he gave the team a reliable outlet, stepping into midfield to connect passes and working hard to recover into position. His tracking back down Turkey’s right flank snuffed out several promising attacks. The worrying note came late, when he limped off with what appeared to be a left ankle problem, casting a shadow over an otherwise standout display.

Sebastian Berhalter – 8

This was the performance of a player determined to justify his place. Berhalter arrived in the squad on the back of his dead-ball quality, and he wasted no time proving the point, dropping a precise delivery onto Trusty’s head for the opener.

Then came his own goal, a clean, composed finish from the edge of the area that added another clip to an already impressive highlight reel from distance. Between those moments, he knitted the team together. No American passed more progressively on the day, constantly punching the ball forward and into dangerous zones. His defensive work had holes, but the damage won’t show on the clips; the upside on the ball absolutely will.

Weston McKennie – 7

With Cristian Roldan sidelined, McKennie shouldered the responsibility and the armband. This was not the all-action, everywhere-at-once version of McKennie, but a more measured, guiding presence.

He kept the team’s energy from dipping when the match turned scrappy, barking instructions, demanding more, and timing his runs to give the attack some edge. He managed a few efforts on goal, though only one tested the keeper. Leadership, rather than fireworks, defined his night.

Gio Reyna – 5

The rust showed. Reyna, rarely extended beyond 30 minutes at club level, faded as the game stretched. Early on, he roamed intelligently, constantly presenting himself as a passing option between the lines.

The problem came with what followed. Too often he chose the safe recirculation instead of the killer ball, preferring to keep possession rather than break Turkey’s shape. Even so, he still finished with the second-most box-entry passes on the team, behind only Berhalter. The vision is intact; the sharpness and risk-taking need to catch up.

Tim Weah – 5

Pochettino again flipped Weah to his weaker side, leaning on the idea of his “dominant eye” to justify the inverted role from the left. The theory did not translate into execution.

Weah’s touch deserted him at key moments. Passes went astray, dribbles broke down, and his usual direct menace rarely appeared. For a player with his experience in this group, the technical sloppiness stood out more than any isolated positive contribution.

Brenden Aaronson – 5

This was Aaronson in familiar mode: relentless running, constant pressing, and endless attempts to stretch the field. Making his first World Cup start, he covered ground, pulled Turkey’s shape around, and gave the US an outlet on the right.

The defining moment, though, was the miss. Presented with an unobstructed look at an open net, he failed to convert, a glaring lapse that undercut his work rate. Effort has never been his problem. End product still is.

Ricardo Pepi – 5

Pepi worked without reward. He dragged Turkey’s center-backs into deeper and wider areas, trying to open pockets for runners, and stayed engaged in the physical battle.

The penalty area, however, remained a lonely place for him. Touches in the box were scarce, service sporadic, and his one shot flew off target. For a forward touted as Fulham’s potential $35m signing-in-waiting, this was a muted audition.

On a night of competing narratives, Berhalter and Trusty pushed their cases forward. Several others left the door wide open for rivals. With bigger tests looming, Pochettino’s selection board looks anything but settled.