An own goal and an Alex Freeman’s late header in the first-half sent the U.S. men’s national team to a 2-0 win on Friday against Australia in Seattle, keeping the U.S. perfect through two games at the 2026 World Cup.
Being without star winger Christian Pulisic, who missed the game through injury, left the U.S. without its most dangerous attacking threat. His absence, while felt at various moments, still didn’t stop the Americans from notching another win to remain atop the Group D standings.
With the win, the U.S. is already guaranteed a spot in the round of 32 even before its final group match against Türkiye. Here’s a look at how the U.S. players and coach performed against Australia.
Manager rating (out of 10)
Mauricio Pochettino, 7—His fingerprints were all over a match that saw the Americans already having to adjust to life without Pulisic before making another adjustment to facilitate more attacks down the left. It led to the U.S. having 70% possession in the first half before switching from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-5-2 in the second half in an approach that saw Matt Freese have a clean sheet.
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USMNT player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, 5 = average)
— He might be tempted to have a discussion with the backline about errors leading to shots in the first two minutes because it has now been two games in a row. Beyond that? Freese went through most of the match without really being heavily tested because of how much the U.S. controlled possession.
— It looked like his errant pass was going to lead to a potential goal for the Socceroos. From there? The Villarreal right back kept having the sort of individual moments like the sliding clearance in the box. Or the positioning he had on the deflected Sergino Dest shot that led to his header giving the U.S. a 2-0 lead. Or how his speed and power presented too many issues for Australia.
— There were a few moments when Australia having possession led to him stepping into action. Richards’ speed and his awareness was key when Tim Ream was caught out of position on a through ball to Nestory Irankunda that led to an eventual Cristian Volpato shot going over the goal.
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— Ream’s afternoon was direct and quiet until Irankunda raced past him on a through ball. The moment itself didn’t lead to a goal. But it was the first that saw Australia make a push over the final 20 minutes with Ream playing a role in warding off potential threats.
— Robinson was still involved. It’s just that Pulisic’s absence meant he was not as active as he was against Paraguay. He also ran into a few issues such as when he got a yellow card in the 56th minute and nearly received another one before he was eventually subbed out in the 80th.
— Moving McKennie around early in the game allowed the Americans to test where they could find openings. There was a time when he was the primary driver of play at the beginning but wasn’t as active once the U.S. took a 2-0 lead into the second half.
— His partnership with Tillman was even more crucial considering this was a match in which space was at a premium. Their understanding made it possible for Tillman to get into those attacking positions with Adams being positioned in a way that protected the back line and allowed him to contribute in attack when needed. Much like the through ball that sprung Balogun on a breakaway within the first 10 minutes of the second half.
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— Early on, there was more of a need to facilitate play down the right as a way of countering Pulisic’s absence. Dest was part of those attacks and was also involved with retaining possession. His most memorable moment came when his deflected shot off a corner led to Freeman’s goal late in the first half.
— Tillman arguably had the strongest performance of any player on the pitch for either side. Australia’s structure was hard to break down at times, but he found a few different avenues to either play a key pass or drive play himself. He made a point to fight for every 50-50 ball with the intent of turning it into a counter.
— Anyone that came in on the left was going to be charged with trying to help generate opportunities with Pulisic injured. Pepi struggled to get into attack to the point that the U.S. made its strongest pushes down the left when Pochettino moved Balogun to the wing or when they switched to a 3-5-2 for the remainder of the match.
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— Balogun once again provided Pochettino with a No. 9 who could drift into different spaces. His pacy run down the left led to him playing the ball in the box that led to an own goal coming off Cameron Burgess in the 11th minute. Balogun also had a chance to push the lead to 3-0 early in the second off the through ball from Adams before Alessandro Circati got in the way of his shot on goal.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes = no rating)
— Berhalter’s insertion allowed the U.S. to have another box-to-box presence to close out the game.
— Having Scally at the back provided a respite for Robinson after what was a challenging afternoon.
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— Trusty allowed Pochettino to have more reinforcements to fend off Australia’s late advances.
— His cameo allowed the U.S. to have a fresh pair of legs to end the match.
— Albeit brief, there appeared to be a moment when Wright had a chance to make it 3-0.
