The Turkish national team has become the main disappointment of the tournament in North America. And this fact will remain unchanged, whatever the World Cup ends up being. For example, the elimination of one of the contenders for the title at the Round of 16 will be an unequivocal topic of discussion and an annoyance for everyone living in countries such as Spain, Germany, or Argentina. At the same time, the tragedy that the Turkish people have endured will not be caused by such an outcome. And it is doubly painful for the Turks because all of them gave their best and left it all on the field. It would seem that Vincenzo Montella was making the right decisions. Yet the Turkish national team has run into real bad luck. And what else can you call a result when, in two matches, the Turks shoot at the opponents' goal a total of 62 times and score not a single goal? In the case against Paraguay, Arda Guler and his teammates were not helped even by the ridiculous sending-off of an opponent for covering his mouth during a conversation. It is telling how the Turkish players were crying after the final whistle of the second match. Could they be blamed for a lack of commitment? The third group-stage round turned into a formality for the Turkish team, since they had lost any chance to rise higher than fourth place. That said, Turkey still has something to prove. The seriousness and status of the opponent, conversely, should spur Montella's players. Talented and, in some cases, even star players should slam the door shut and fly home with their heads held high. All technical and strategic resources are available to the Turks for this. The United States national team is in a diametrically opposite emotional state to their opponents. In the first round, the hosts of World Cup 2026 barely noticed Paraguay on the field; in the second they left no chance to Australia. Two victories against direct rivals allowed the United States to clinch the group ahead of the third round. Given the tough weather conditions in which they have to play, the American coaching staff is simply obliged to give rest to both their leaders and those players who toiled through two matches without substitutions. Even their own home crowd is unlikely to motivate the Americans to the same level as the Turks are motivated by the need to apologize to their fans.