The United States men’s national football team became the second team to secure a spot in the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup, after beating Australia 2-0 on Friday. Mexico became the first team to do it on Thursday.
The team led by Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino stepped into Seattle’s Lumen Field knowing that a win would ensure their place in the round of 32, after they trashed Paraguay 4-1 in its opener one week ago.
The absence of top player Christian Pulisic — who suffered a left calf injury in the opener and was rested as a precaution — didn’t seem to slow down the U.S.
Pochettino’s team came out to the pitch swinging, controlling possession with ease and looking to create goalscoring opportunities through fast passing combinations and dribbling runs.
It was one of those runs that opened the score, as in the 11th minute striker Folarin Balogun darted through on the left and stepped into the box for a cross. Australian defender Cameron Burgess couldn’t take the foot out of the way and pushed the ball into the back of the net for an own goal 1-0.
