The US Men’s National Team walked into SoFi Stadium on June 25 with a perfect group-stage record and walked out with a 3-2 loss to Türkiye, courtesy of a Kaan Ayhan goal deep in stoppage time.

The result didn’t actually matter. The Americans had already locked up first place in Group D after beating Paraguay and Australia.

A dead rubber that felt very much alive

Coach Mauricio Pochettino rotated his squad heavily, fielding a predominantly reserve lineup for the final group match. Türkiye capitalized on every gap the backups left open. Ayhan’s last-gasp winner turned what could have been a forgettable draw into a result that will linger in the locker room. Pochettino, for his part, wasn’t interested in hand-wringing. When reporters pressed him on the defeat, he dismissed the line of questioning as “a little bit petty.”

The USMNT now faces Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on July 1.

The crypto angle: fan tokens ride the World Cup wave

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first edition to feature 48 teams and the first co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, has become a significant catalyst for the sports fan-token ecosystem. Chiliz (CHZ), the blockchain infrastructure behind the Socios.com platform, has seen trading volume and token burns surge alongside the tournament. When national teams win, their associated fan tokens see buying spikes. When they lose, selling follows.

No specific crypto token was directly linked to the USMNT vs. Türkiye match itself. Socios.com has positioned itself as the go-to platform for fans who want skin in the game beyond just wearing a jersey. Fans purchase fan tokens on the Socios.com platform, which gives them access to voting rights on minor club or team decisions, exclusive content, and gamified experiences. The tokens trade on secondary markets, and their prices fluctuate based on team performance, sentiment, and broader crypto market conditions.