Jun 7, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; USA midfielder Jack McGlynn (6) takes a shot on goal against Turkey in the second half at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field.

The U.S. men's national team turned in a decent display in Saturday's friendly against Turkey but just like its previous two matches, the afternoon ended in defeat.

The USMNT got off to the perfect start at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., as Jack McGlynn found the net on an outstanding strike just 59 seconds into the match.

But Turkey struck back in a disastrous three-minute stretch that turned the game on its head.

Johnny Cardoso's awful error led to a fluky Arda Güler goal in the 24th minute, and another defensive breakdown in the 27th minute resulted in a goal for Kerem Aktürkoğlu. That would be all the scoring on the afternoon, as Turkey came away with a 2-1 win.

The U.S. had the edge in possession and shots against a strong European opponent, but didn't create nearly enough dangerous moments. The result will do nothing to end the malaise around the program or ease the pressure on head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

Here are our ratings for the USMNT's defeat against Turkey on Saturday.

As a reminder, here’s the Pro Soccer Wire player rating scale:

  • 1: Abysmal. Literally any member of our staff would have been been able to play at this level.
  • 6: Adequate. This is our base score.
  • 10: Transcendent, era-defining performance. This is Carli Lloyd vs. Japan in the 2015 World Cup final.

GK: Matt Freese - 6

Making his USMNT debut, the New York City FC goalkeeper mostly dealt with Turkey's pressure, passing the ball quickly and effectively. He could do nothing on either goal and made three saves, the best of which was his tip over on a long shot from Orkun Kökçü.

LB: Max Arfsten - 5.5

Arfsten was extremely active on the left flank, seeing plenty of the ball in attack. The Columbus Crew defender was often dangerous, but failed to make the most of a couple presentable chances to score in the second half. He mostly held up defensively but failed to close down quickly enough on Turkey's second goal.

CB: Miles Robinson - 5.5

Robinson looked sharp at center back, proactively snuffing out several chances before they materialized. His poor clearance on Aktürkoğlu's goal will be a play he'll want back, however. Taken off at halftime.

CB: Chris Richards - 7

Richards controlled the tempo for the USMNT, as his line-breaking passes were key in sparking attacks — including the one that ended in McGlynn's goal. Wearing the captain's armband, Richards had a game-high six clearances, won three of four aerial duels and wasn't dribbled past once.

RB: Alex Freeman - 6

Freeman looked a bit shaky early in his first cap, especially when Kenan Yıldız caught him napping on a ball over the top that Güler skied over from close range. But the Orlando City man grew into the game and was solid defensively, even if he didn't quite get involved in attack as much as he does in MLS.

CM: Johnny Cardoso - 3

Cardoso's struggles with the USMNT continued on a fluke Turkey opener that came directly from his criminal indecisiveness. Güler's deflection may have been lucky, but the Real Madrid man never should've been able to block Cardoso's clearance in the first place. Minutes later, Cardoso lost possession again on a play that could've been another goal. Pochettino removed him at the break.

CM: Luca de la Torre - 7

A very productive return to the international game for De la Torre, who consistently found pockets of space to make himself available in possession. When he got the ball, the San Diego FC man frequently looked to push forward and put pressure on Turkey. He was also a tidy 52-for-55 on passes.

LM: Diego Luna - 6.5

Luna worked hard all afternoon, putting in his usual tenacious effort and popping up all over the field to find the ball. The playmaker had a game-high four key passes, but didn't quite produce the decisive moment in the final third that has become his trademark of late.

CM: Malik Tillman - 6.5

Tillman had one of his more encouraging displays as a USMNT player, starting with his first international goal contribution on an assist for McGlynn. The playmaker showed some neat touches in possession, won a game-high four fouls, and tracked back to win the ball on a number of occasions. He should've capped off his display with a goal, but his close-range header in the second half went straight to goalkeeper Berke Özer.

RM: Jack McGlynn - 7

It was the perfect start for the USMNT and McGlynn, who cut in and drilled a perfect left-footed strike to the far post to open the scoring within the game's first minute. The midfielder had an up-and-down remainder of the match, generating quality passes forward with his left foot but seeing his decision-making let him down on multiple occasions when he opted to shoot when he should have passed.

ST: Patrick Agyemang - 4.5

Playing in his hometown, Agyemang made himself available in possession time and time again, but couldn't hold the ball up effectively against Turkey's fierce center backs. The forward won just three of 14 duels, and his lone shot on target wasn't threatening.

Sub: Mark McKenzie - 6.5

The Toulouse man effectively replaced Robinson at the break, solidifying the USMNT back line in another encouraging showing.

Sub: Tyler Adams - 6.5

Adams came on at halftime and immediately raised the tempo in the midfield, winning back possession several times and lofting a great cross that Tillman should have scored.

Sub: Quinn Sullivan - 6

In his USMNT debut, Sullivan looked threatenining on the right flank and got a couple decent crosses off. He'll be disappointed, however, with a scuffed shot on a nice cut-back from Haji Wright.

Sub: Haji Wright - 5.5

Wright generated a chance quickly after coming onto the pitch when he cut the ball back for Sullivan. The Coventry man didn't create much after that and could have been more clinical on a pair of late chances.

Sub: Nathan Harriel - 6

Harriel had a solid performance after coming on in the 65th minute.

Sub: Brian White - N/R

The Whitecaps forward showed some good hold-up play but wasn't involved much in his 15 minutes on the field.

This article originally appeared on Pro Soccer Wire: USMNT vs. Turkey player ratings: Early McGlynn goal not enough in third straight loss

Reporting by Seth Vertelney, Pro Soccer Wire / Pro Soccer Wire

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