SEATTLE — Mauricio Pochettino’s plan to take the long view to the United States men’s national team’s run at the 2026 World Cup proved wise on Friday.
The U.S. coach kept star Christian Pulisic on the bench against Australia, and his side responded with a 2-0 win over the Socceroos at Seattle Stadium to secure a spot in the knockout round.
With Pulisic recovering from a calf injury sustained in the opening win over Paraguay, Pochettino opted to start Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi up front. The pair kept constant pressure on Australia, which struggled against the Americans’ speed despite playing five defenders.
It was Balogun who forced the issue with a run down the left wing in the 11th minute. His pass into the six-yard box was intended for Pepi but never reached its target. That’s because Swansea City defender Cameron Burgess got in between, only to have the ball deflect off him and past goalkeeper Patrick Beach.
“(Pochettino has) always given us different ideas to attack. So, to play with Pepi today wasn’t a shock,” said Balogun, who added that he did not know Pulisic’s status until before the match. “It wasn’t like a plan B before CP was out. It didn’t feel like that to me.
“It just felt like another solution to win the game.”
It was the second own goal the Americans have benefited from in as many matches and set the tone for the remainder of the day. The U.S. added a second goal when defender Alex Freeman headed a ball past Beach. Initially ruled offsides, the call was overturned by VAR.
The victory gave the Americans (2-0-0) six points in Group D, assuring the U.S. of advancing no matter what happens in their final group game. Australia (1-1-0) remains in contention to advance with its final group game coming Thursday against Paraguay.
If Turkey ties or loses to Paraguay later today, the Americans will clinch the top spot in the group. The U.S. faces Turkey on Thursday.
Despite Pulisic being seen at team training on Wednesday, Pochettino said after the game that it was “impossible” for him to play Friday. While saying earlier in the week that Pulisic would face Turkey if he wasn’t able to play against Australia, after the match he offered only that he hopes Pulisic can “help the team as soon as possible.”
For Balogun, Friday continued a torrid start to the World Cup, which began with two goals against Paraguay. He also helped force an own goal in that game, making the United States the first team in World Cup history to benefit from own goals in consecutive games.
Freeman’s third international goal came just minutes after he and Australian midfielder Paul Okon-Engstler were attended to following a head collision. The son of former NFL wide receiver Antonio Freeman, who once scored a touchdown in the same stadium, Alex Freeman admitted he was anxious while waiting for the VAR.
“When it was a goal, I looked back and I saw all my teammates running at me,” Freeman said. “I was like, ‘Oh Lord, now they’re running.’ And then, I ended up running and celebrating with them, and I think it just made me very emotional in the moment.”
Both teams managed only a pair of shots on goal. The Aussies’ first came in the opening minute of play, when Mohamed Toure’s attempt was easily saved by goaltender Matt Freese. The Americans would dominate the remainder of the half.
Australian coach Tony Popovic attempted to switch the flow with a trio of substitutions coming out of halftime. That included removing Toure and playing Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe up top. While the Aussies did apply more pressure on Freese in the second half and created multiple frantic moments in front of the goal, they were unable to find the back of the net.
The U.S. finished with a clear edge in possession at 56%, according to FIFA, while Australia was credited with 33%, and the remainder was contested.
It was also a physical match, with U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams the target of multiple hard tackles in the first half.
“It was a physical game. I don’t think it was anything different than what we expected,” Adams said. “Fouled a couple times, fouled other people a couple times. It’s the nature of the game.
“I think you need to play into it a little bit and understand what the game requires, and that’s what it required today.”
The tone was set early for a match that saw 28 combined fouls and seven yellow cards.
“Very physical, a lot of challenges,” Balogun said. “I think the referee did his best to try and contain it, but this is a World Cup. So it’s expected for the passion to sometimes spill over. But I think we kept our cool, and it was a really professional performance from us.”
The U.S. have now won games in front of partisan crowds in Los Angeles and Seattle, and will return to L.A. to face Turkey. Friday’s game included a helicopter flyover and a vibrant crowd in the home of MLS’ Seattle Sounders, whose fans are known to stand for the entirety of matches.
“I’m just so happy they were able to come out and to be able to kind of have that atmosphere,” Freeman said. “And kind of sing those songs that calm and make us, you know, kind of accept the fact that we’re here and we have such an amazing thing to do. And now we have more stuff to do.”
And whether that means the Turkey game is a battle for the top of Group D or if the U.S. have already clinched that honor, work remains to be done ahead of the knockout round.
“We kind of need to put a 24-hour rule on things,” Adams said. “Enjoy the moment. Enjoy your time with the families. Disconnect a little bit. And then when it’s time to work, we got to go back to work.
“Another important game against Turkey. And I feel like in my head, it’s like, ‘Do the job.’ Focus on the next one until you’re out of games to play, because then you did something right.”
–Derek Harper, Field Level Media
