USA's last-gasp heartbreak against Turkey will sting but there is no need to panic... the real World Cup starts now for Mauricio Pochettino and Co

For nearly 90 minutes, Mauricio Pochettino could hardly have asked for much more. Yes, the USA had shipped two goals and looked set to miss out on a third straight win at this World Cup. Yes, there were holes in this performance.

But in this dead rubber against Turkey, who were already eliminated after two losses from two, the USMNT had rested key players and those at risk of suspension. With the score at 2-2, they were cruising in to the round of 32 unbeaten and - more important still - unscathed. 

Then, as stoppage time approached, Auston Trusty appeared to roll his ankle. Then, with the final kick of the game, Kaan Ayhan stole victory for Turkey. Soccer can be cruel at times. 

Now, there is no need to panic - the USA had already sealed top spot in Group D and Trusty's ankle was still sturdy enough to finish the game. 

But this will sting, for Pochettino and for those players who were handed a chance to prove they could gatecrash his plans for the knockout rounds - starting against Bosnia and Herzegovina next week.

The hope? This proves only a small bump in the road towards the latter stages of this World Cup. So Pochettino's players still huddled in prayer before starting a lap of appreciation. 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' still blared out from the speakers around SoFi Stadium. And, even after late heartbreak, none of the 70,000 fans inside SoFi Stadium could go home feeling short-changed.

For one, they had the chance to see Christian Pulisic for 30 minutes on his return from injury. The winger missed the second half of the win over Paraguay and the victory over Australia but he looked very sharp in this cameo. That bodes well. Only Weston McKennie - who captained the team in place of Tim Ream - and Ricardo Pepi kept their place from the win over Australia in Seattle. 

It showed at times, particularly in the first half, when the US backline wobbled in the face of Arda Guler's brilliance. He scored Turkey's first and had a hand in their second for Orkun Kokcu.

Over their opening two games, Turkey had 62 shots - a World Cup record - without scoring. Here, they netted with their first two attempts on goal and then their last. The US had taken an early lead through Trusty before falling 2-1 down. Sebastian Berhalter leveled shortly after halftime but Ayhan had the final say.

Every couple of minutes, a new face appeared on the giant, 360-degree screen that hangs from the roof of SoFi Stadium. Stars of sports and showbiz who filled the suites that wrap around this $5.5billion playground.

Among them? Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson, NBA legend Scottie Pippen and LA Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. Kamala Harris was here, too. So was Second Lady Usha Vance. Paris Hilton was on the field ahead of kickoff but even after Pochettino rang the changes, she couldn’t squeeze into the starting XI.

No doubt all these A-Listers had been duped, too. Before the tournament, all signs pointed to this being a pivotal game in the fate of Group D. Perhaps even a shootout for top spot. Instead? It was a dead rubber.

Thankfully, it took all of two minutes to dispel any fears that – after booking their place in the knockout rounds and resting almost all their starters – Pochettino’s team would coast through this game.

Straight from kickoff, the US launched the ball deep into Turkey territory and then tore into their opponents. Gio Reyna forced a corner, which was not dealt with, before Trusty’s shot needed saving.

Seconds later, Sebastian Berhalter whipped in another corner that flew all the way to Trusty at the far post. He had enough time to take a touch, fire home and then hare towards the USA bench where he was mobbed by teammates and doused in water. It was the second-fastest US goal in World Cup history - not bad for a makeshift left back.

Unfortunately, the defending wasn’t much better at the other end and Turkey levelled the game after 10 minutes. First, Guler outsmarted Mark McKenzie, leaving the defender on his heels, before beating Matt Turner, who was too slow off his line.

McKenzie thought he had made amends around the half-hour mark, after another US corner caused chaos. The ball cannoned around the box before falling to the defender, who lashed it home. Unfortunately his celebrations were cut short – the goal was ruled out for offside – and then moments later, Turkey took the lead.

This time, the USMNT were sliced apart by slick interplay around the box. Eventually a pull-back found Kokcu, who made no mistake. 

It remained 2-1 at the break, when the stadium DJ decided to play Bon Jovi's 'Livin' on a Prayer.' That has become one of the sounds of this team's tournament - alongside 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' - and it lit a fire under the crowd and, apparently the team, too.

Because a few minutes into the second half, Berhalter drilled a bouncing ball through a crowd of bodies and inside the near post. He received a big embrace from Reyna. Four years ago, a rift between their families threatened to rip US soccer apart. This was another night that proved how far this team has come.

Once again, the chance arrived after Turkey failed to deal with a ball into the box. The only difference? This time, it was a long throw, rather than a corner, that proved their undoing.

Before long, Turkey had the threat of Pulisic to deal with and they didn't fare too well, either. The winger laid on a brilliant chance for Brenden Aaronson, whose skewed his shot well wide. Pulisic then had an effort tipped on to the post by Ugurcan Cakir. Ayhan made no mistake from close range.