Why USA Fans Should ‘Take A Deep Breath’ After Loss vs. Türkiye

The U.S. men’s national team won Group D, but it ended group play on a bit of a dud. However, former USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan doesn’t want the fan base to sound the alarm. 

After the USA gave up a late goal in its 3-2 loss to Türkiye, Guzan is still feeling optimistic about the Stars and Stripes ahead of its round of 32 matchup against Bosnia and Herzegovina.  

“Listen, all I was saying was there’s been a lot of talk, a lot of hype within the last two games around this U.S. team,” Guzan said. “For all of our new USA fans. Everyone, calm down. Everyone, take a deep breath.”

To Guzan’s point, the USA mostly started its backups on Thursday evening. Nine of the 11 players in its starting lineup made their first start in the 2026 World Cup, with Matt Turner filling in for Matt Freese in net. It also won the possession battle (52-48), outshot Türkiye (18-9) and had more shots on target (7-3). On top of that, the USA had more touches in the opponent’s box (37-24) than Türkiye.

Still, the loss might have exposed some defensive vulnerabilities for the USA. FOX Sports’ Maurice Edu dished out a rating of 5 or lower for all four of the USA’s starting defenders, as the team gave up two goals early in the first half. 

But Thursday’s loss didn’t change anything for the USA’s path in the knockout stage. It’ll still face Bosnia and Herzegovina after winning Group D, securing two wins in its first two matches as it outscored its opponents by five goals.

That’s why Guzan urged supporters to maintain a big-picture view of the tournament rather than panicking over a single adverse result, emphasizing that the team’s internal confidence remains entirely intact as they prepare for their upcoming knockout opponent. 

“We are OK,” Guzan said. “We’re going into the round of 32. This result tonight did not change anything. We still top the group, we are still going into this round to a [round of] 32 game against Bosnia with confidence, with belief, jump on board, stay on board, and let’s ride this thing to the final.”