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U.S. Men's National Team boss Mauricio Pochettino will look to guide his side to a third consecutive FIFA World Cup win against Türkiye on Thursday -Credit:Jamie Squire/Getty Images
The U.S. Men’s National Team is set to close out its group stage on Thursday night when they take on Türkiye at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
With the Group D crown already clinched after back-to-back wins against Paraguay and Australia, little more than pride and maintaining rhythm are at stake for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
As such, the Argentine made his intention to make some changes to the starting XI clear when speaking with reporters on Wednesday, especially those carrying yellow cards from the previous two games and, therefore, risking a suspension should they be booked against Türkiye.
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Tyler Adams is one of four USMNT stars on yellow cards -Credit:Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards, and Antonee Robinson all enter Thursday’s game having previously been booked, with the slate set to be wiped clean following the final group game.
“I think it's an easy answer for the guys that have yellow cards. I think it's unnecessary to take a risk and then take another yellow card and be not available for the next stage,” Pochettino said, via ESPN.
“I think that is a little bit a normal and easy answer not to play with them from the beginning.”
The former Argentina international went on to add, “If you play tomorrow and maybe you receive an unfair yellow card and you are out, not available for the next stage, tell me in the way that you will approach the game.
“My answer is I need to be sure that the team that is going to [play] tomorrow, want to eat the grass here in the SoFi and play as if it's the final of the World Cup.”
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Other lineup changes could be dictated by the bigger picture, with some players having endured particularly long or injury-hit seasons, with Pochettino suggesting this could be a good opportunity to give some players a break ahead of the first knockout round.
He said, “We have a lot of circumstance that we earn because we earn through our results and our performance; the possibility to manage better and arrive in a better condition in the next stage.”
Then there are those currently managing injuries, most notably attacker Christian Pulisic who was taken off halfway through their 4-1 tournament opening win against Paraguay and subsequently missed the 2-0 Australia triumph due to a calf injury.
Thankfully for the USMNT, Pulisic has returned to training and recently told reporters he hoped to be involved on Thursday. And it seems his wish may yet come true, with Pochettino admitting the debate was whether to start the AC Milan star or possibly bring him on as a substitute.
Meanwhile, midfielder Cristian Roldan has been missing from training this week due to a quad injury, leaving his status for Türkiye up in the air. “We need to assess tomorrow if [Roldan] can be available,” Pochettino said. “He has a small issue in his quad, but I think it's evolving really well. [If] this is not for tomorrow, hope for the next week.”
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