6/19/2026
USA 2 Australia 0
(Seattle, WA) Seattle Stadium was packed to the rafters cheering on Team USA against Australia in group D play on Saturday morning. After a 4-1 win over Paraguay to open the tournament the US needed a win to secure a spot in the next round and a chance to clinch the group.
Crowds that couldn’t get were everywhere with massive watch parties including one at pier 62 in downtown Seattle with thousands watching on a big screen with sunshine, Puget Sound and the Olympic mountains as a back drop. Special thanks to Jim Hawley for his picture of pier 62.
The US had deja vu with another own goal early in the match. Against Paraguay it was a 7th minute own goal this time it was Australia in the 11th. Florian Balogun made the run to the endline and fired a cross that went off Australia defender Cameron Burgess and into the back of the net. That is the 5th own goal against the US in World Cup play 1 behind France for the most all time.
The Stars and Stripes added a 2nd goal in the 43rd minute on a well taken free kick. Sergino Dest won the kick just outside of the 18 yard box and near the endline. A quick pass to the top of the box led to a hard shot that went off the Australia keepers hands and Alex Freeman headed it home. After a review by VAR to make sure he was onside it was upheld for the 2-0 lead.
The second half saw a lot of action and an uptick in physicality but it didn’t result in any more goals. In the end the US had 62% of the possession for the match down from the 70% they had at the half. They also completed 85% of their passes in the match.
The US advances out of the group stage in back to back World Cups. Paraguay did get a 1-0 win over Turkiye clinching the group D win for team USA.
With the USMNT clinching it give them a chance to rest players and sit anyone with a yellow against Turkiye in the last match of group D on June 25th. It also gets some experience for some of the young players on the roster on a massive stage.
The best the US had done at the World Cup in the modern era was getting to the quarters in 2002 when Japan and South Korea hosted. The best finish in US history was a 3rd place in the 1st ever World Cup back in 1930.
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