Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The U.S. men’s national team secured a 2-0 victory over Australia without Christian Pulisic, advancing to the knockout stage.
- Alex Freeman and Weston McKennie led the charge with standout performances, while Folarin Balogun’s pace proved decisive.
- Mauricio Pochettino’s tactical adjustments in the second half helped preserve the win, keeping the Americans in contention for first place in Group D.
No Christian Pulisic, apparently no problem. Despite missing their talisman against Australia on Friday afternoon, the U.S. men's national team just kept on rolling, jumping out to an early lead and keeping the Soccerroos at arm's length the rest of the way in an impressive 2-0 win in Seattle. The Americans have now officially punched its ticket to the knockout stage, and they can clinch first place in Group D if Turkiye draws or loses to Paraguay later on Friday night.
For as impressive as the U.S. was in the opening win over Paraguay, Pulisic's injury introduced some seeds of doubt. But they were once again the aggressor on Friday, overwhelming the Aussies early on by being the faster, stronger team. Like in the Paraguay match, that frenetic pace ebbed a bit as the second half wore on. Overall, though, it's hard not to feel awfully good about where this group is right now, both in the standings and on the field.
Which American players stood out in particular, and who has some (relative) work to do? Here are our full manager and player ratings for the Australia match.
Manager rating (out of 10)
Mauricio Pochettino: 7
I'll ding him slightly for waiting a bit too long into the second half to ditch the two-striker look and pivot more to a midfield game, but other than that, it's hard not to be pleased with the way he's leading this team right now. The choice of Ricardo Pepi as the replacement for Pulisic was a shrewd one — with Australia parking the bus, shot creation was paramount — and the Americans are playing with poise, confidence and toughness that we haven't seen in a while.
Player ratings (out of 10; 10 = best, 5 = average)
GK Matt Freese: 6
Freese once again didn't have all that much to do, but he made a sure save at his near post early on and was sturdy amid some increased Australian pressure in the second half. While the U.S. still hasn't fully answered its keeper questions, Freese has done nothing to lose his hold on the No. 1 job.
RB Alex Freeman: 8
He bagged the second goal for the U.S. just before halftime, swiftly pouncing on a deflected shot in the box, but his real contributions came on the other end of the field. Freeman was all over the place, clearing crosses in the air and sticking his nose in on tackles in addition to typically sound passing work. Yet another impressive performance for a guy who was one of this team's biggest question marks entering the tournament.
CB Chris Richards: 7
Richards, like the American back line as a whole, was a little nervy in possession to start the game. Once he settled in, though, he was his usual steady self, holding up against pace as Australia cranked up the pressure in the second half. And he once again had a nearly perfect came passing, this time with a higher degree of difficulty after being largely unbothered against Paraguay.
CB Tim Ream: 5
Ream seemed to be the most uncomfortable defender when it came to trying to handle a surprisingly aggressive Australian press. He held up fine on the back line, but his decision-making and execution in possession left a little bit to be desired.
LB Antonee Robinson: 7
The man they call Jedi was less active working the ball into the box as a crosser, but that was partly by design: in going with a second striker without Pulisic, Mauricio Pochettino asked one of his most accomplished players to serve a different role. And serve it Robinson did, sound in defense and consistently making good decisions in possession. A really workmanlike effort.
CM Weston McKennie: 8
Look, Pulisic remains the USMNT's best player, the man whom opponents scheme around at all times. But my goodness, McKennie has been the engine of the American attack through two games at this World Cup. Much like he did against Paraguay, he started the game with his hair on fire, making runs all over the place to put stress on the Australian defense. Combine that with his passing ability, and his willingness to dig in defensively, and you've got an all-world player.
CM Tyler Adams: 8
He began to wane a bit as the match went on — it was awfully hot in Seattle — but man, Tyler Adams remains an absolute game-wrecker in the middle of the field. He blew up so many nascent Australian counters, particularly in the first half, that the Soccerroos were visibly exasperated heading into the halftime break. All that and he managed to handle the Aussie physicality without getting himself a yellow card suspension.
AM Sergiño Dest: 7
It was a tale of two halves for Dest, who was absolutely wearing out Australian defenders for pace in the first half but began to waver a bit as the Soccerroos played more with possession in the second half. This is how it's always gone for him, an electric attacking player who sometimes has trouble on the other end. But hey, his speed is something else, and when you have guys like Adams and Richards behind you, you can take some chances.
AM Malik Tillman: 8
What's gotten into this guy? Tillman did his best McKennie impression at times as a connector through the middle, excelling in hold-up play against a very physical defense while setting up Folarin Balogun multiple times with pinpoint passes. Truly a two-way performance.
ST Ricardo Pepi: 6
Pepi acquitted himself pretty well, particularly in the first half — it was his hard run to the front of goal that set up the own goal that got the Americans on the board, and that sort of thankless work was characteristic of his effort in the U.S. two-striker look. He didn't half a ton of impact in the second half, but he wasn't a liability either.
ST Folarin Balogun: 7
This is why the U.S. worked so hard to recruit Balogun away from England and Nigeria. His pace is simply different, and it wore out Australia in the first half. Once the Americans had built a two-goal lead, he dug in and did the dirty work — the Aussies simply could not move him off the ball no matter how hard they tried, or how often they beat him up.
Substitutes (no rating for players introduced after 70 minutes)
Sebastian Berhalter (74th minute): N/A
He came on for Pepi (a bit too late, if you ask me) with the U.S. looking to add more strength in midfield as they held on to a second-half lead.
Auston Trusty (80th minute): N/A
Came on for Robinson to give the U.S. fresh legs in defense.
Joe Scally (80th minute): N/A
Came on for Dest in order to give the U.S. a more defensive presence late.
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