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The United States became the second nation to reach the knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup with a commanding 2-0 victory over Australia in Seattle.
As in its 4-1 win over Paraguay, the U.S. made a lightning-quick start and took the lead when Cameron Burgess turned Folarin Balogun’s pass into his own net.
Alex Freeman then made sure of the three points when he nodded in Sergino Dest’s deflected strike.
The win means the U.S. follows fellow co-host Mexico into the Round of 32.
Two games down in Group D for these two teams, which means there is just one more to go.
Those games take place on Thursday, June 25 at 10 p.m. ET.
Nearly a century has passed since the USA was in such a strong position in the group stage of this tournament — it is just the second time it has won two World Cup matches in a row and the first since 1930.
Its six goals leaves it on the verge of a record. The most goals the U.S. has scored in a single edition of the World Cup is seven (in 1930 and 2002).
What does this USMNT result without Christian Pulisic say about this team? Here’s Alex Freeman to Fox Sports on that:
💬 “It says that we have a really strong roster. We’re gonna execute and try to be at 100 percent and get results. Christian is such a vital part of this team, but if he’s not available, someone else is gonna have to step in and do that.
“For us to be able to kind of go and (have) someone step in, like Ricardo Pepi who played a very good game, come in and play well as well, it lets us know that we have that chemistry, that we have an all-around team that we can get results no matter what.”
The USA are in a strong position in Group D after a 2-0 win over Australia, with Pochettino’s influence starting to show. The former Tottenham boss arrived in October 2024 with plenty to fix after a disappointing Copa America campaign exposed weaknesses in the team.
With less than two years to prepare the USA for a historic World Cup on home soil, the early stages were far from smooth, including friendly defeats against Belgium and Portugal.
A win over Senegal helped build confidence before the tournament, and that momentum has carried into the World Cup with victories over Paraguay and Australia. The next challenge comes on Thursday, June 25, when the USA face Turkey at SoFi Stadium, with top spot in Group D now within reach.
More from Australia manager Popovic, speaking to Fox after the match.
💬 “We conceded two soft goals, but I thought the reaction in the second half was outstanding.
“This is a noisy host nation. I think the players showed how good they are in the second half, but obviously at this level you can't give away that much in the first.
“Every game's different and we had a lot of fatigued bodies in the first half. Physically and mentally it was tough, but it was an outstanding second half so we have got to build on that.”
Australia manager Tony Popovic was full of praise for the United States today:
💬 “You’ve got to give them credit. There’s a reason they are so good. Their quality is clear, there was no surprises.”
USMNT striker Folarin Balogun, speaking to Fox, praised his team's fast start and goalscorer Alex Freeman.
💬 “It sets the tone. We wanted to start fast again like we did against Paraguay, and we did that today. It always makes the game easier, so I'm so happy.
“I'm so happy for Freeman. He's such a humble kid. He's so down to earth and for him to get his first World Cup goal on home soil, I'm sure it's a special evening for him as well.
“This tournament is coming full circle for me, you know. It's been three years since I committed to the U.S., and to be able to repay the fans on the biggest stage means the world to me.”
For the next few hours, USA supporters will have their eyes on Paraguay — a positive result for the South Americans against Turkey will be enough to hand Mauricio Pochettino’s side top spot in Group D with one match still to play.
Alex Freeman, World Cup goalscorer for the USMNT. Here he is on Fox Sports:
💬 “It was surreal, knowing that I was able to contribute to my team in any way I can. Obviously, at first, it was disallowed, so I was kind of anxious when it went to VAR.
“When (the goal) was confirmed, I looked back and (my teammates) all started running! I thought, ‘Oh my God, I gotta run away from them! They’re gonna tackle me!’ And then we ended up running to the corner flag, and it was so emotional for me.
“You dream of this moment, and for it to finally happen, and to have such a support system to help you celebrate it, it just means so much!”
I could not be more impressed with the U.S. despite being a sneery European.
The performances have been really good. More importantly, the type of performances have been exactly right for the opponents in these two games. In previous tournaments, I always felt — perhaps wrongly — that the US had one approach and one approach online.
The difference now seems to be variety, which speaks to the coaching of Mauricio Pochettino, but also the versatility of some of these players. The can play at different speeds. They can create chances in different ways. They don't seem nearly as dependent on athleticism and force of will.
Mauricio Pochettino hopes to have Christian Pulisic available for USMNT's next game, but was encouraged by the performance without him. The US coach spoke to Fox.
💬 “It’s difficult because we want to have all the players. He's an important player for us, Christian, but that is a team and it was impossible today for him to play.
“We hope that for the next game he will be available but if we want to win the competition, we need the whole team and all the players to be important.
“But of course Christian is one of the best players in the world, and I hope that he can recover as soon as possible and can enjoy being on the pitch and helping the team.”
A perfect start at the World Cup for the United States is setting up for a special tournament.
For those who have watched every U.S. game of the Mauricio Pochettino era — frankly, every USMNT performance since Qatar — it cannot be overstated how surprising these back-to-back dominant performances have been. The evidence to reasonably expect it was not there.
Pochettino was always going to be judged based on his World Cup performance. And he's got the team playing their best soccer in his era and, perhaps, a long time.
The USMNT nonchalantly shrugged off Christian Pulisic’s injury-enforced absence by breezing past Australia in Seattle.
Both goals arrived in the first half and illustrated the dynamism and intensity of the USA’s early attacking play.
You would certainly imagine that if Pulisic is fit again for the next game, he would be in line to reclaim his starting spot, given that Ricardo Pepi slightly underwhelmed.
But most importantly, this result demonstrates that the co-hosts can more than compete without their talisman, only adding more belief to this already assured side.
After a strong first 45 minutes, the U.S. was under immense pressure in the second half as Australia pinned the Americans in their own half but ultimately could not find enough quality to truly threaten the United States.
Here are your views on the 2-0 win.
The USMNT head coach paused his post-match interview with Fox to acknowledge some nearby fans chanting “Poch-et-tino!”
Mauricio Pochettino's post-match interview with FOX was interrupted by US fans singing the Argentine's name.
💬 “It’s amazing. I was saying yesterday, Argentina has amazing fans, but I think we are matching Argentina. Our fans, I feel so happy for them.
“It was a fantastic game again. It was a very good first half. I think we dominated the game against a very tough team.”
Another dominant, assured American performance. So many contenders for player of the match.
Denny suggests Balogun, which is a strong shout. I was really impressed by two of the defenders, Richards and Freeman. and Tillman, who was so good in midfield
Folarin Balogun was at the center of another impressive USA display, bringing power, movement and intelligence to the attack. His involvement in the opening goal proved decisive, with his burst forward and dangerous delivery creating the pressure that eventually led to Cameron Burgess’ own goal.
The striker also built a strong connection with Alex Freeman, with the pair repeatedly combining down the flank and causing Australia problems with their pace and movement. After his brace against Paraguay in the opener, Balogun is quickly becoming one of the key figures in Mauricio Pochettino’s attacking setup.
There have been some similarities between the USMNT and Australia in the past. Both teams are known to be physically strong and the player profiles resembled each other.
Today, despite a hard-fought match, the U.S. is simply far better technically. Australia kept this game close with tactical organization and a spirited second half, but their lack of finesse on the ball did them in at the end.
Team Stats
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AUS
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