Turkiye Eliminated

Expected to Get Out of Group D, Turkiye Eliminated Before Their Final Group Stage Match

Turkiye arrives in Los Angeles on Thursday as a team already heading home, eliminated after two matches, scoreless, and still searching for answers.

The Crescent Stars entered their first World Cup in 24 years, riding enormous expectations, buoyed by a golden generation anchored by Real Madrid's Arda Guler and Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz. Instead, they produced one of the tournament's most bewildering collapses. Across defeats to Australia and Paraguay, Turkey launched 62 total shots without finding the net—the most by any team in a two-match span without scoring since records began in 1966.

Against Paraguay on Friday, Turkey mustered 32 attempts and faced a man-down opposition for more than 45 minutes, yet still fell 1-0 to Matias Galarza's stunning opener just 70 seconds in. A Mert Muldur header that struck the crossbar and post in the 35th minute was the closest they came.

"We tried very hard, but it didn't work," Guler said afterward. "Everybody's sad, everybody's crying."

Coach Vincenzo Montella's rigid 4-2-3-1 system was consistently decoded by opponents, and his reluctance to adapt proved costly. For the USMNT, Thursday's dead rubber represents a low-stakes audition for fringe players, and one final tune-up before the knockout stage begins.