The United States men's national team started its June gauntlet on the wrong foot, losing 1-2 to Türkiye in a friendly at Rentschler Field at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Connecticut.
Jack McGlynn put the USMNT ahead in the first minute with an outstanding strike, but bizarre mistakes and poor defending allowed Türkiye to score two goals in just three minutes.
Here are three thoughts on the USMNT's international friendly defeat.
1. Freese debuts, gets burned by defensive miscues
Matt Freese had to wait quite a while to make his senior USMNT debut. The Wayne, PA, native was called up in January for friendlies against Costa Rica and Venezuela, but sat on the bench as an unused substitute in both matches.
Now a part of the Concacaf Gold Cup roster, Freese made his long-awaited USMNT debut against Türkiye, as Mauricio Pochettino handed the 6-foot-3 New York City FC goalkeeper the start over Matt Turner and Chris Brady.
Freese was called on early and forced into a good save in the 23rd minute, denying Orkun Kökcü's shot from outside the box, but things would fall apart minutes later.
Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso made a horrific mistake trying to play an outside-of-the-boot pass to clear his lines, as it deflected off Arda Güler's leg and past the hands of Freese.
One of the weirdest goals you'll see. 🫨
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) June 7, 2025
The USMNT's Johnny Cardoso tries to clear but it bounces off Arda Guler and into the net for a Turkiye equalizer.
📺 Telemundo, NBC Universo & Peacock pic.twitter.com/9yHJUikZxK
Just three minutes later, the USMNT's backline collapsed. A great build-up play from Türkiye found Oğuz Aydın in space, playing a pass toward the backpost, but his pass deflected off Miles Robinson and fell to Kerem Aktürkoğlu, who tapped the ball into the back of the net.
Turkiye lead the USMNT 2-1 at halftime after Kerem Aktürkoğlu's effort gave them the lead. 🇹🇷
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) June 7, 2025
📺 Telemundo, NBC Universo & Peacock pic.twitter.com/vlvPJRb1E7
Despite totaling three first-half saves, there was nothing Freese could do on either goal — his backline let him down.
2. McGlynn continues to impress
Despite being just 21 years old, former Philadelphia Union winger McGlynn is already impressing with the national team. Now with the Houston Dynamo, the forward put the USMNT ahead in just the first minute with a thunderous left-footed goal.
A stupendous strike from @JackMcGlynn7 right from the start! 🚀#USMNT x @VW pic.twitter.com/d8gtWhqgF9
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 7, 2025
McGlynn doesn't score much, but when he does, it's often a left-footed thunderous strike. He scored eight goals in 135 games with Philadelphia and has three goals in 18 games at Houston this season.
Surely, McGlynn has done enough to earn a starting winger spot alongside Malik Tillman — who assisted McGlynn's first-half goal — at the Gold Cup later this month.
3. Offensive struggles
Outside of McGlynn's outstanding individual goal, the USMNT's offense put its other two first-half shots off target. The USMNT had 60 percent of the ball in the first half, but attempting just three shots is poor.
The shooting struggles continued in the second half, with Luca de la Torre and Max Arfsten missing scoring opportunities. The USMNT's best chance to level the game came in the 60th minute, as a Tyler Adams cross met the head of Tillman, but he put his header straight at Türkiye goalkeeper Berke Özer.
The chances were there for the taking, but the USMNT couldn't put its shots on target. With no Christian Pulisic at the Gold Cup, it's a mystery who else will step up and score. Names that come to mind include strikers Patrick Agyemang or Brian White, but it doesn't seem guaranteed.
With three straight losses heading into Tuesday's friendly versus Switzerland, the USMNT still has serious work to do ahead of the Gold Cup starting on June 15.
