No Hollywood end to group stage as Turkey expose USA’s depth
6 min readJun 26, 2026 11:05 AM IST The twist of the knife was cruelly saved for the last minute of the game. The contest locked at 2-2, a draw, a befitting result for a frantic and error-replete game, Kaan Ayhan stabbed the ball into the nets. A collective pause shook the stadium. For the first time in the World Cup, co-hosts USMNT lost a game. Suddenly, the sold-out crowd, among them half the Hollywood celebrities, stopped reacting. The myth and the illusion of the country as trophy contended, came falling down like a castle of dreams built in a Hollywood basement. The team lingered and applauded the crowd, consoled them not to worry. After all, this was an inconsequential game, fraught with risks rather than rewards. The manager Mauricio Pochettino is a wise man, he imperilled defeat for yellow cards that could have seen some of his regulars miss the round-of-32 game, or a senior player getting injured or fatigued. He was willing to gamble the momentum, and the glowy bounce winning streaks can …
