USMNT Falls 2-1 to Türkiye in East Hartford
Agyemang's Hometown Return Falls Short despite a first-minute goalazo from Jack McGlynn.
Despite a first-minute goal from midfielder Jack McGlynn, the U.S. Men’s National Team suffered a 2-1 defeat to Türkiye on Saturday at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Connecticut, a disappointing result in their first friendly ahead of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
The USMNT’s historical edge over Türkiye (2W-1L-1D) offered hope heading into the match, but this Türkiye side proved too sharp - and more than willing to take advantage of the home side’s defensive mistakes.
It is the second time in as many years the USMNT has lost three matches in a row, and the first time under the same head coach since 2015.
For Charlotte FC striker Patrick Agyemang, the match was a homecoming to his native East Hartford, but the towering forward couldn’t find the net to spark a comeback for the Red, White, and Blue.
Agyemang, 24, grew up just minutes from Rentschler Field, where he attended his first USMNT game as a 9-year-old in 2010, watching stars like Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan take on the Czech Republic.
On Saturday, the 6-foot-4 forward, who has emerged as a breakout star for both club and country, earned his fifth cap and started in front of family and friends. Despite his relentless energy and physical presence, Agyemang left the pitch goalless, a rare quiet night for a player who has scored three goals in his first four international appearances.
The match saw the USMNT field a youthful lineup under head coach Mauricio Pochettino, with key European stars Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun and Josh Sargent unavailable. Agyemang, paired with Diego Luna and Malik Tillman in attack, was tasked with leading the line against a Türkiye side ranked No. 27 in the FIFA World Rankings and fresh off a quarterfinal run at UEFA Euro 2024.
There were many changes in a major revamp from Pochettino’s Nations League lineups, including MLS goalkeeper Matt Freese’s first start.
After McGlynn put the U.S. ahead off a Tillman assist, Agyemang’s physicality troubled Türkiye’s backline, particularly on set pieces, where his height and agility made him a constant threat. Early in the match, he drew a foul in the box, but the referee waved off penalty appeals. His off-ball movement, a focus of his development under Pochettino, created pockets of space for teammates like Luna and Max Arfsten, both making their first starts in a FIFA international window. Yet, despite his efforts, Agyemang couldn’t convert his chances, and had one shot on the night.
Türkiye struck back in the 24th minute when a huge error by Johnny Cardoso led to a Arda Güler equalizer in what was not quite an own goal, but certainly could be characterized as an “own assist.”
Türkiye saw an opening, and three minutes later Kerem Akturkoglu scored the decisive goal for the visitors.
Pochettino saw Cardoso’s mistake as “bad luck.”
“Until we conceded in the first 25 minutes, we were playing so well,” Pochettino said at halftime during the broadcast. “I think we were better than Turkey. When we conceded, it was a massive impact for us.”
Pochettino made changes at the half, bringing on Tyler Adams for Cardoso, but the U.S. couldn’t find a second equalizer. Agyemang’s best chance came in the 53rd minute, when Diego Luna set him up for a shot on the top center of the goal, saved by Berke Özer. Agyemang was substituted in the 74th minute for Brian White, who ended the match with no shots.
“Patrick played against one of the best center backs in the world [in Çaglar Soyuncu], that’s very valuable for him,” Pochettino said in a post-match press conference.
The U.S. now looks to rebound against Switzerland on June 10 in Nashville, their final tune-up before the Gold Cup.
As the USMNT gears up for a critical summer, Agyemang’s journey from East Hartford’s backyards to its biggest stage remains a story of resilience. Though Saturday’s result didn’t match the fairy-tale script, his ceiling, as Charlotte FC coach Dean Smith once said, “is as high as he wants it to be.”