USA have been in sensational form at the World Cup 2026 with big wins over Paraguay and Australia to guarantee their place in the knockout stage.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have also already locked up top spot, meaning they know they will play their last 32 tie in Santa Clara, California on 1 July.
That’s due to the head-to-head rule overruling goal difference and only one of Australia and Paraguay able to join the on six points.
Pochettino will hope to recover Christian Pulisic, with the winger proving excellent in the opener before missing the 2-0 win over the Socceroos.
But more than just his quality on the pitch and retaining momentum with a third straight win, Pochettino may want to avoid rustiness creeping in, with Pulisic, especially, at risk of 18 days between games, should he miss a second straight game.
So Pochettino must strike a fine balance between retaining momentum, building squad chemistry and avoiding risks over suspensions and potential injuries.
What are the new yellow card rules at World Cup 2026?
With 48 teams and a new last 32 round, Fifa had a problem with suspensions due to yellow card accumulation with more games and potential to lose key players throughout the tournament.
To combat that, Fifa will wipe the slate clean twice, instead of once previously. Yellow cards will be wiped after the group stage ahead of the knockout stage, then once more after the quarterfinals, preventing a final suspension due to just two yellow cards earned beforehand.
But with two yellow cards before that cutoff, players will trigger an automatic one-game ban, as experienced by South Africa’s Teboho Mokoena for their upcoming crunch third match against South Korea on Wednesday.
What is USA’s dilemma then?
The four players at risk of a suspension for the USA’s last 32 tie are: Tyler Adams, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson and Folarin Balogun. Should either earn a yellow card against Turkey, then they will miss the last 32 match.
It appears likely that Pochettino will rest all four, but Clint Dempsey warned about losing momentum by rotating too much and leaving a lengthy gap between appearances.
“It’s different to World Cups in the past, way more rest, starters who played against Australia, who do not play against Turkey, that’s 12 days without playing a game,” the forward USA forward told FS1.
“If you’re Pulisic, that’s 18 days without playing a game. It’s important Pochettino gets that right, he’s got everything right so far. But you need the best chemistry in the team.”
Who could USA play in the last 32?
As winners of Group D, USA will play one of the third-placed teams who advance to the last 32. Their opponent would either come from Group B, Group E, Group F, Group I or Group J.
