A second goal before half-time turned control into consequence for USA, whose 2-0 win over Australia at Lumen Field moved Mauricio Pochettino’s side to 6 points and into the second round of the World Cup.
USA forces Burgess mistake to seize control
Without Christian Pulisic, absent through injury, USA still played like the side setting the terms. Their early pressure brought the breakthrough in the 11th minute, when Folarin Balogun drove down the left and sent a sharp ball into the Australia area.
Cameron Burgess tried to cut it out before it reached an American shirt, but instead turned it into his own net. That own goal reflected the opening pattern: USA had the territory, the tempo and, by the end, 62% possession.
Freeman decides after VAR check rewards USA pressure
The second arrived in the 43rd minute, just before the interval. Serginho Dest’s powerful strike from the edge of the box was blocked, the rebound dropped near the six-yard area, and Alexander Freeman finished.
The flag initially denied him, but referee Felix Zwayer consulted VAR and the offside decision was overturned. Freeman’s night became the defining individual performance: an 8.2 rating, 1 goal from his only shot on target, 59 completed passes from 65 and 2 successful dribbles from 3.
Australia struggles to turn changes into threat
Australia finished with the same number of shots on target as USA, 2, but that only underlined how few clear chances the match produced. USA’s 10 total shots to Australia’s 5, 7 corners to 4 and 444 passes to 219 told the truer story of sustained control rather than attacking chaos.
Tony Popovic’s substitutions did create Australia’s best opening in the 62nd minute, when Nestory Irankunda carried the ball into space and found Cristian Volpato, who shot over from around 10 metres. The contest stayed rugged, with USA shown 3 yellow cards and Australia 4, while Zwayer briefly stopped play near the end after suffering cramp.
USA now lead Group D with 6 points from 2 wins, while Australia remain second on 3 points. Türkiye face Paraguay on 20 June before the final group fixtures, Paraguay vs Australia and Türkiye vs USA, on 26 June.
Match Information
Competition: World Cup, Group Stage - 2. Date & Time: Friday 19 June 2026, 21:00 CET. Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle. Referee: Felix Zwayer, Germany.
