Does USA have anything to play for vs Turkey in World Cup tonight?

IRVINE, CA — Does the U.S. men's national team have anything to play for against Turkey on Thursday night?

That is a question that has several different answers.

Let's start with the most basic one. In terms of the standings, the answer is no. And that is something that has never happened before.

For the first time in its history, the USMNT has clinched its World Cup group with a game to spare. Wins over Paraguay and Australia to start the group phase, combined with new World Cup tiebreaker rules, see the U.S. with an unassailable lead atop Group D.

That means the USMNT knows it will play in the round of 32 at Levi's Stadium in the Bay Area on July 1. As of Wednesday, it also knows its opponent will almost certainly be Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Thursday's game is a true dead rubber when it comes to the standings, because Turkey has already been eliminated before the game starts. Hailed as a potential dark horse entering the World Cup, Turkey instead fell flat with defeats to Australia and Paraguay.

But outside of the standings, Thursday's game still carries quite a bit of significance for the USMNT. Here's why.

Chances for reserve players

USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino hinted he will rotate his squad against Turkey, giving chances for players who haven't seen the field much, or at all, at the World Cup so far.

For the players making their World Cup debuts, simply seeing the field is a moment of huge significance. Playing at a World Cup represents the culmination of a dream for almost any player.

"I think we'd really be excited for each other," defender Chris Richards said on the potential of reserve players seeing the field.

"I think you can see it with every goal, that we all celebrate with each other. So I think if the roles were reversed, we'd all be rooting for them just as much as they are for us."

There will also be the chance for fringe players to make their case to Pochettino ahead of the knockout stage. If, for example, Alejandro Zendejas or Haji Wright or Brenden Aaronson makes a huge impact against the Turks, perhaps they could be the first attacking sub in a knockout round game — or even start.

Keeping momentum up

Regardless of the importance of Thursday's game, the USMNT won't want to enter the knockout phase on the back of a defeat.

"We want to win all three games in our group and go into the next round with nine points," Richards said. "It's a World Cup. If you're not excited for this, I don't know when you will be excited."

Momentum is a tricky thing to quantify in sports, but the USMNT would surely rather keep the good vibes going into the knockout phase.