Meknes – Connecticut’s Pratt & Whitney Stadium welcomes Turkiye today for a friendly that offers both sides a test before the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the US and 2026 World Cup qualifying for Turkiye.
Kick-off is set for 8:30 p.m. (GMT+1) and fans can catch the action live on beIN SPORTS, TNT, truTV, Telemundo, Universo (USA).
USA’s Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has been working all week to mix players from Major League Soccer (MLS) with those who play in Europe. He has focused on fast passing and making the team’s defense play higher up the field.
“It was exciting to bring in different players, including players who are making their USMNT debuts,” Pochettino said during a press conference announcing his pre-CONCACAF Gold Cup team.
Turkiye, meanwhile, arrives with momentum after a good performance at the EURO 2024, reaching the quarter-final. In his pre‐match press conference on Thursday, Manager Vincenzo Montella called the US trip “a chance to experience a different style of play and see where we stand before the World Cup.” Montella’s trademark 4-2-3-1 favors vertical surges and collective pressing, a style his players believe can unsettle the hosts. His squad now boasts seasoned leaders like Hakan Çalhanoğlu, with rising young talents like Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız
Mustafa Erhan Hekimoğlu, Demir Ege Tiknaz, Mustafa Eskihellac, Yasin Özcan, Berke Özer, and Muhammed Sengezer all earned their first call-ups for this friendly. Defender Merih Demiral sat out the last camp with a minor hamstring issue but is expected to be fit.
Meanwhile, Pochettino’s 26-man squad features five first-time call-ups: Goalkeeper Chris Brady, defenders Alex Freeman and Quinn Sullivan, midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, and forward Damion Downs
Sergiño Dest remains sidelined as he is recovering from ACL surgery. Replacing him will be Folarin Balogun.
Key match-ups players include Christian Pulisic’s creativity against Merih Demiral’s strong defending, and midfield, and Gio Reyna’s battle with Çalhanoglu for control of tempo.
Both federations see the fixture as a chance to fine-tune tactics before the US opens its Gold Cup campaign on June 15 and Turkiye continues World Cup qualifying later this year.
Predicted lineups
USA: (4-2-3-1) Matt Turner, Folarin Balogun, Miles Robinson, Walker Zimmerman, Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah, Brenden Aaronson, Gio Reyna, Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi
Turkiye (4-2-3-1) Ugurcan Çakır, Ferdi Kadıoglu, Mert Muldur, Merih Demiral, Zeki Çelik, Hakan Çalhanoglu, Orkun Kokçu, Kenan Yıldız, Arda Guler, Cengiz Under, Umut Bozok
Predicted score
Home advantage and the creativity of Pulisic and Reyna should give the US the edge, but Turkiye’s quality midfield, led by Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Arda Guler, still can net one.
Verdict: USA 2–1 Turkiye
