USMNT vs Turkiye prediction, projected lineups, and how to watch | OneFootball

The United States men's national team officially begins its summer on Saturday with a friendly match against Turkiye. This match, as well as Tuesday’s game against Switzerland, are considered warm-ups for the upcoming Gold Cup. However, Turkiye and Switzerland could end up being the best teams the USMNT faces this summer, so these friendly matches are not to be taken lightly.

The last time we saw the USMNT in action, they were beyond disappointing, losing to Panama in the Nations League semifinals before losing to Canada in the third-place game. On the heels of those losses, it’s even more important for the Americans to have a successful summer and start building momentum ahead of next summer’s World Cup.

Turkiye, on the other hand, had a much more fruitful March window. The Turks beat Hungary 6-1 across two legs to earn promotion to UEFA Nations League A. They are facing both the U.S. and Mexico this month before beginning World Cup qualifying in September in a group that includes Georgia, Spain, and Bulgaria.

How to watch USMNT vs. Turkiye

Time: Saturday, June 7, 3:30 pm ET

Venue: Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Conn.

Tickets: Click here

TV/streaming: TNT, TruTV, MAX in English | Telemundo, Universo, and Peacock in Spanish

USMNT vs Turkiye projected lineup

In no way should you expect to see an A-lineup from the USMNT in this game. Several key players are missing due to the Club World Cup. Meanwhile, others are taking the summer to rest and recuperate, leaving the Americans with a potentially problematic B-roster.

Injuries will also play a role in lineup selection. Aside from players like Ricardo Pepi who have been sidelined long-term, Folarin Balogun, DeJuan Jones, and others were initially named to the summer roster but had to drop out due to injuries. In other words, Mauricio Pochettino will likely use a mix of veterans and young players against Turkiye, with 13 of the 27 players available for selection entering the game with five caps or fewer.

USMNT Lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left)

Matt Turner (GK) - Alex Freeman, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Maximilian Arfsten - Tyler Adams, Johnny Cardoso - Brenden Aaronson, Malik Tillman, Diego Luna - Patrick Agyemang

Turkiye players to watch

The Turkiye roster also has more than half a dozen players with five caps or fewer. Nevertheless, there are plenty of experienced and notable players. The center back tandem of Merih Demiral and Çağlar Söyüncü is stable with both players having over 50 caps. Roma’s Zeki Çelik is also a proven commodity at right back.

In the midfield, Inter Milan’s Hakan Çalhanoğlu will captain the Turkish squad. Orkun Kökçü of Benfica is also a rising star in the midfield. His club teammate Kerem Aktürkoğlu is a threat for the Turks on the left wing. With 11 international goals, Aktürkoğlu has the most goals on the roster other than Çalhanoğlu, who has 21 goals in 97 international games.

USMNT vs Turkiye prediction

The Turks are definitely capable of giving the U.S. some trouble. While Turkiye doesn’t have to worry about playing a competitive match until September, they are far closer to having their best players available than the Americans. The Turks are also confident after gaining promotion to Nations League A in March and reaching the quarterfinals of the Euros last summer.

Without much pressure on them, the Turks should be willing to play an open game, which should lead to some goals. The Turkiye defense isn’t exactly iron-clad either. In 15 matches since the start of 2024, Turkiye has kept just five clean sheets. Likewise, they’ve failed to score a goal just four times during that stretch.

Even without many of their top players available, the U.S. still has some playmakers. They also have a lot of players who have a point to prove and should be more motivated to showcase themselves than the Turkish side. That should lead to scoring chances for both sides, with the U.S. against a Turkiye squad that’s solid but not among the elite in Europe.