After a dream start to open the tournament, the United States is set for its second match at the 2026 World Cup, this time against Australia in Seattle on Friday, June 19.The U.S. began with a statement win, 4-1 over Paraguay, last week to kick things off. It was the team’s best performance under head coach Mauricio Pochettino, considering the stage, stakes and implications, and arguably one of the best-ever by an American men’s team at a World Cup.The U.S. looks to keep that momentum rolling against Australia, but it won’t be easy. It’s a top-of-the-table clash in Group D after Australia beat Turkey 2-0. The European side’s captain, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, dismissed the Socceroos before the game, claiming his side would dominate the game. The U.S. players aren’t making that mistake despite some outside voices injecting some bulletin-board fodder into the mix.Whichever side wins this game will close in on winning the group, and thus a more favorable knockout round path. Here’s a closer look at the match.What you need to know about the matchupGroup D: United States (FIFA ranking 17) vs Australia (FIFA ranking 27)Venue: Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field), Seattle, Wash.Date: Friday, June 19Kick off: 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PTU.S. pathway: Qualified automatically as a host nation. Drawn from Pot 1.Australia pathway: Australia finished second behind Japan in the third round of Asia qualifying, with a record of five wins, four draws and one defeat. Drawn from Pot 2.Staff predictionsPaul Tenorio: U.S. 2, Australia 1 – I think the Americans keep things rolling, and something in my gut tells me they’ll do it without Christian Pulisic. This isn’t reporting! Just a hunch.Henry Bushnell: U.S. 2, Australia 1 — This game will be tighter than the opener. Physically, Australia is better than Paraguay; tactically, I think the Aussies will be smarter. But they’re just not as good at soccer as the U.S. is.Tom Bogert: U.S. 2, Australia 0 – Ultimately, the U.S. is on a roll and will be too much for a valiant Australian performance. They unlocked something with the midfield fluidity in the last few games. That is the key to the game.OddsAfter the dominant performance against Paraguay, it’s not surprising the U.S. is a solid favorite against Australia. The Americans are -165 to get a win on DraftKings and BetMGM and -170 on FanDuel.A draw (between +310 and +350) is viewed as more likely than an Australia win. The Socceroos are around 4-to-1 to win.That means the odds are saying the U.S. has a roughly 60 percent chance to win and around an 80 percent chance to get at least a point from this match.The Athletic’s projection tool is currently giving the U.S. a 97 percent chance of advancing from the group and a 63 percent chance of winning it. A win would assure the Americans advance and give them an 84 percent chance of winning Group D.A draw drops the those chances to 56 percent and a loss to 4 percent. Even with a loss, the model gives the U.S. an 86 percent chance of advancing.USMNT players celebrate one of Folarin Balogun’s goals vs. Paraguay in the World Cup opener (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP / Getty Images)If U.S. beats Australia it will be because…The cohosts recreate a similar performance to the one against Paraguay. It cannot be understated how perfect the first 45 minutes were, in particular.