The U.S. men’s national team is into the knockout rounds of the 2026 World Cup after a 2-0 win over Australia in front of a rowdy, sold-out crowd in Seattle.
No Christian Pulisic, no problem for the USMNT. The American star was ruled out pregame after a week of speculation over his availability. It led to a surprising start for Ricardo Pepi and a formation tweak for Mauricio Pochettino, who lined up the Americans in a 4-4-2 against the Socceroos in a Group D clash.
The switch proved to be a success, with Folarin Balogun’s early run down the left side of the pitch, an area where Pulisic would be if he had played, resulting in an own goal that looked almost identical to the opening goal in the 4-1 win over Paraguay.
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A second goal came from an unlikely source on the stroke of halftime, with Alex Freeman heading into an empty net to put the USMNT ahead 2-0. Antonee Robinson picked out Sergino Dest on the edge of the box with a free kick, and the winger quickly put a strike on goal, which was deflected and popped into the air, which Freeman tracked and dispatched past a scrambling Patrick Beach.
A less-than-blistering second half favored the Socceroos, but the USMNT defense did enough to keep a clean sheet for the first time in 10 matches, and more importantly, see out the win.
The victory books the USMNT a spot in the knockout round, and it could potentially see the Americans win Group D by the end of the night, should Paraguay beat or draw with Turkiye. The six goals through two games are tied for the most the USMNT has scored at a World Cup in program history, a remarkable stat.
Here are the match ratings from the USMNT victory:
The ratings are done on a 1-10 system, with 6 being the designated number for a solid, but not exceptional performance.
Gk – Matt Freese: 6/10
Matt Freese hasn’t had much to do through two games of the World Cup, but he commanded his box well, and popped with two key saves.
Rb – Alex Freeman: 8/10
Alex Freeman is quickly becoming the story of the World Cup for the USMNT, and the 21-year-old played a gem vs. Australia. He was the quickest to react to a loose ball for the second goal, and won key challenges defensively, especially in the second half.
Cb – Chris Richards: 7/10
It wasn’t a pretty performance, but that’s the sign of a solid day at the office for a center back. Chris Richards earned a late yellow card, but he helped steady the USMNT defense in the second half when the Australians peppered the backline.
Cb – Tim Ream: 6/10
There were a few moments where Tim Ream was caught out, namely a run from Nestory Irankunda early in the second half that resulted in a chance for the Australians. At 38 years old, its not a surprise to see him struggle with a pacey young forward, but he did a good job alongside Richards.
Lb – Antonee Robinson: 7/10
A yellow card doesn’t dinimish another solid outing for Antonee Robinson. He was effective when going forward, playing the ball to Balogun for the own goal, and he picked out Dest before his deflected shot ended up in a goal for Freeman.
Rm – Sergino Dest: 8/10
A potential man-of-the-match performance from Sergino Dest, who had the ball on a string for much of the match. A second straight display of dizzying dribble moves and tenacity from Dest.
Cm – Weston McKennie: 8/10
With Pulisic out, someone needed to create havoc for the USMNT, and Weston McKennie was more than up to the task. His interchanges with Dest on the right flank gave Australia headaches in the first half, and when he needed to defend more in the second half, he played a key role in seeing the game out.
Cm – Tyler Adams: 7/10
Tyler Adams, again, was the security blanket for the Americans. He was quick to disrupt the flow of Australia’s attack, and he came up with a key block late to keep the clean sheet intact. More importantly, he didn’t get a yellow card.
Lm – Malik Tillman: 6/10
Playing out wide, Malik Tillman was dangerous in the first half. He didn’t have much of the ball in the second half, but it was a solid game from the midfielder.
St – Ricardo Pepi: 6/10
The surprise choice to replace Christian Pulisic in the starting lineup, Ricardo Pepi, made a few penetrating runs but wasn’t a threat for much of his 73 minutes played.
St – Folarin Balogun: 7/10
Balogun’s darting run down the left wing and toward the byline set up the own goal that opened the scoring. His crafty runs opened up space for the midfield. He didn’t have much to do in the second half, other than go back and forth with Australia center back Harry Souttar and stretch the hamstring of the referee.
Subs (No rating for players subbed on after 70′ minutes)
Cm – Sebastian Berhalter
Sebastian Berhalter came on to shore up the Americans’ midfield, and he played fine. Nothing remarkable.
Rb – Joe Scally
A late substitue, Joe Scally replaced Sergino Dest as the Americans packed the box late to keep the Australian attack at bay.
Lb – Auston Trusty
Similar to Scally, Auston Trusty came on late to shore up the defense. Replacing Antonee Robinson, Trusty held his own on the left flank.
Lm – Gio Reyna
After a goal off the bench vs Paraguay, Gio Reyna occupied the role of time waster, coming on in stoppage time for Tillman.
St – Haji Wright
Like Reyna, Haji Wright came on late to bleed some clock. He did have a few darting runs forward, but couldn’t get efforts on frame
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Alex Freeman leads USA player ratings in World Cup win over Australia
Reporting by Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY Network
