USA lineup vs. Turkey: Predicted XI for World Cup 2026 Group D match as Mauricio Pochettino has big decisions

Seeking a historic third successive victory in this competition, the USA will wrap up the opening stage of World Cup 2026 against Turkey at Los Angeles Stadium on Thursday.

The Yanks secured a place in the round of 32 with another impressive victory, 2-0 over Australia, putting them atop the group standings with six points.

While his first major hurdle has been cleared, Mauricio Pochettino faces some tough calls in this upcoming match, which could impact his ultimate goal of reaching the semi-finals.

There is no denying the kind of impact captain Christian Pulisic has on this team, but the group have shown they do not need to rely solely on him to be successful.

The AC Milan man missed their match against the Socceroos due to a hamstring strain, and Pochettino will have to carefully consider whether to give him some minutes against Turkey.

The native of Hershey, Pennsylvania, is one goal away from equalling Eric Wynalda for fourth all-time with the national team.

It may feel like a no-win situation for the former Tottenham boss, as playing Pulisic puts him at risk of re-aggravating his injury, though he may be rusty for the knockout stage if he sits for a second successive game.

That is far from the only big call Pochettino must make ahead of this fixture, as numerous key players are at risk of suspension.

Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson are all on yellow cards, and as impactful as they are, having any of them miss their round of 32 clash could be a big blow.

If their top goalscorer (Balogun) is benched, look for Ricardo Pepi to take his place as the lone striker up top, with Auston Trusty likely slotting in at centre-back with Max Arfsten on the left and Cristian Roldan playing alongside Sebastian Berhalter as a holding midfielder.

The Americans have already guaranteed themselves first place in their World Cup group for the first time since 2010.

Because of this, we believe Pochettino will make wholesale changes to his starting 11, while bringing on some of his regulars as substitutes in the second half.

Haji Wright, who led Coventry City with 17 goals in their 2025-26 Championship-winning campaign, will hope to get a few more minutes on matchday three, coming on as a stoppage-time substitute against Australia.

We could see Timothy Weah draw into the starting 11 for the first time in this competition, having featured in the opening lineup in three of their four outings at the last World Cup.

Alejandro Zendejas can become the first Mexican-born player to feature for the US national team in a World Cup match this century, with the Club America winger committing to the Yanks in March 2023.

USA possible starting lineup:

Freese; Scally, McKenzie, Trusty, Arfsten; Roldan, Berhalter; Weah, Reyna, Zendejas; Pepi

> Click here to see how Turkey could line up against the USA