U.S. men's soccer falls to Turkey 3-2 but advances to World Cup knockout round

On a warm Thursday night in Inglewood, the U.S. men's soccer team absorbed their first loss of the 2026 World Cup — a 3-2 defeat to already-eliminated Turkey — yet walked off the field with their tournament lives fully intact. Having already secured advancement through wins over Australia and Paraguay, the Americans used this final group match as a proving ground rather than a battleground, rotating their squad and welcoming back their talisman, Christian Pulisic, from injury. The result is a reminder that in sport, as in life, not every stumble is a fall — and that the deeper journey is only