USMNT - Australia winners and losers: Hosts advance, Seattle celebrates

The United States made it two from two at the 2026 World Cup, putting in a solid performance in a 2-0 win over Australia. That victory - one week on from the opening day win against Paraguay - confirms the team’s progression to the knockout rounds.

Heading into the game the fitness of Christian Pulisic was the big talking point. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino opted not to risk Pulisic but the rest of the USMNT squad stepped up in his absence.

An early own goal and a first World Cup goal from Alex Freeman was enough to secure a vital three points in front of a raucous Seattle crowd. Here are the winners and losers from a historic afternoon for US soccer...

Winner - Strike partnerships

The classic two-man strike partnership has been out of favor in global soccer for the best part of 20 years but the USMNT might be bringing it back. With Christian Pulisic sidelined due to injury, Ricardo Pepi was brought in to the team to play alongside Folarin Balogun up front.

The front two operated well, with Balogun running in behind to stretch the Australian defense and Ricardo Pepi dropping short to link with the US midfield. The duo proved too much for the Australian defense to deal with and will give Pochettino a decision to make going forward.

Loser - Australia and Paraguay

When the World Cup groups were drawn last December, Group D looked like one of the most even. Each one of the USMNT, Türkiye, Australia and Paraguay had a chance of progressing, but the hosts have overpowered their opponents in the opening two games.

With the USMNT now safely through to the Round-of-32, Pochettino may well choose to rotate his team for the final group stage game. That would suit Türkiye - the US’ remaining fixture - who might need a result against the US to advance.

Winner - Seattle

The USMNT left their California base to head north for this second group stage fixture, and were rewarded with one of the atmospheres of the tournament so far. Lumen Field was packed for the game and the crowd was spurred on by two first-half goals from the hosts.

The Seattle sports crowd is known for being one of the noisiest in the country and they played their part in a historic win. With the USMNT now set to top Group D they will return to Seattle for their Round-of-16 game, assuming they make it that far.

Loser - Alejandro Zendejas

The Club América left winger was the most obvious direct replacement for Christian Pulisic in this USMNT starting XI. Instead, Pochettino shifted to a front two and Zendejas remained an unused substitute for a second successive game.

The 28-year-old was always likely to be a fringe player this summer but he would have hoped to feature in at least one of the first two games. May now get his chance against Türkiye in the final group stage game.

Winner - USMNT defense

Finally, a clean sheet for the United States! For all the improvement that we’ve seen in recent months, the defensive frailties have remained present throughout. Even the opening game victory over Paraguay included a few lapses of concentration that eventually saw the US concede.

There was none of that on Friday and the US have a first clean sheet in 11 games, a run that stretched back to a win over Japan in November 2025. The defensive unit of Freeman - Ream - Richards - Robinson looks settled, a solid base going forward in this tournament.

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