Since the USA men’s national soccer team has already won its group and will be advancing to the knockout round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the biggest question surrounding the players as they head into its final group stage match on June 25 is: Who will be taking the field?

There’s a case to be made that Team USA should rest its top players, since the team’s results against Türkiye are ultimately irrelevant.

Then again, this would halt USA’s momentum, which is the last thing anybody wants before the difficulty of opponents increases.

The most interesting player status to follow will be that of Christian Pulisic. He wasn’t active for Team USA’s last game against Australia because of a calf injury, but is expected to be ready to face Türkiye on Thursday. It’s hard to imagine he’ll play the full 90 minutes.

Pulisic is Team USA’s biggest star, which has made his private life big news during the tournament’s media cycle. It’s known that Pulisic was dating Alexa Melton, former USC golfer, before the couple broke up earlier this year.

Melton is also a social media influencer who creates vlogs on YouTube. A comment she made in her most recent post earlier this week is sure to spark buzz before Pulisic’s World Cup match.

The golfing champ started the video by loading a heavy suitcase in the back of a car before turning to the camera to say: “Don’t need no man!”

While Melton appeared to be saying this in jest, she appears to be taking her independence in her stride in the wake of the end of her relationship with the USA soccer star.

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