USA vs Turkey

In a much-anticipated friendly, the USA and Turkey face off at Rentschler Field in Hartford on Saturday, marking their first encounter in over ten years.

The US team is looking to rebound after placing fourth in the CONCACAF Nations League in March, where they fell 2-1 to Canada in the bronze-medal match. Meanwhile, Turkey earned promotion to League A in the UEFA Nations League with a commanding 6-1 aggregate win over Hungary in the playoffs.

The Americans’ title defense in the Nations League ended disappointingly this year, missing the podium for the first time in the tournament’s history.

With just over a year until the World Cup, Mauricio Pochettino faces challenges in preparing the US squad. The former Tottenham and Chelsea boss has overseen two consecutive losses, and the team risks a third straight defeat, a rare occurrence last seen within the past year.

Since a 4-2 loss to Colombia in a 2018 friendly, the US has been unbeaten in matches where they’ve scored multiple goals.

This weekend’s game marks the eighth time the US men’s team plays at Rentschler Stadium, where they’ve lost only once while securing four victories.

The US holds a strong record against Turkey, winning their last two encounters, both by 2-1 scorelines on home soil.

Turkey, coming off a dominant League B campaign, showcased their strength in March with a convincing playoff performance against Hungary.

Under Vincenzo Montella, Turkey aims to secure a spot in the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico—a tournament they haven’t qualified for since their third-place finish in 2002.

The Crescent Stars are in fine form, with only one loss in their last eight matches across all competitions, scoring an impressive 16 goals during that stretch.

Turkey has a chance to claim back-to-back away wins for the first time since June last year, having won two consecutive road games then.

When scoring first, Turkey has been nearly unstoppable, winning their last four matches across all competitions while netting 10 goals combined.

Their only victory against a CONCACAF opponent this century came against the US, a 2-1 win in France during the discontinued FIFA Confederations Cup.