U.S. beat – The U.S. national soccer team beat Australia 2-0 on Friday in the World Cup group stage, advancing to the knockout round after only two matches. Forward Christian Pulisic missed the game with a calf injury, but the Americans still produced the result with goal
SEATTLE — By the time Friday’s match reached the 43rd minute, it felt like the U.S. had already decided it would not be defined by who wasn’t on the field.
Christian Pulisic. the team’s marquee forward and a player with 33 goals in 87 international appearances. sat out the game with a calf injury. Even without him. the Americans did what they had to do: they beat Australia 2-0 and secured a spot in the knockout round after only two matches in the group stage.
The stakes were familiar in a new way. The last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup in 1994. it advanced by being one of the best third-place teams. then lost to eventual champion Brazil in the round of 16. This time, there was no need for hope-by-math after a couple of games. The roster was deep, and the U.S. took advantage.
“We didn’t have him today,” Folarin Balogun said after scoring and helping the U.S. keep control. “But I think you saw we’re still capable to go out there and get a result and put up a performance.”
Balogun also made clear what Pulisic’s presence normally means. “C.P. is a fantastic player — the quality and the leadership that he gives us,” he said.
The first blow came early. In the 11th minute, the U.S. took a 1-0 lead after Balogun ran down the left sideline and directed a centering pass toward striker Ricardo Pepi. who started in place of Pulisic. The ball never reached Pepi; it deflected off Australia defender Cameron Burgess and went into Australia’s net for an own-goal.
Then came the second goal, and with it a moment that turned the night into something memorable for a player still making his mark. Alex Freeman, the youngest player on the team at 21 and the son of Super Bowl champion Antonio Freeman, scored the U.S.’s second goal in the 43rd minute off a set piece.
Freeman headed in a deflected shot by Sergiño Dest for his first career World Cup goal. The score was confirmed after a video review.
Balogun framed the goals in a way that sounded less like celebration and more like intent. “I want to be dangerous, I want to create opportunities,” he said. “It might not always be myself that scores, but if I can force an error that gives us the lead, then for me it’s like a goal as well.”
After that first strike—turning Australia’s defense into the U.S.’s opening—he called it a start that mattered. “It was a special start to the game to give us the momentum,” Balogun said.
In the end, the U.S. didn’t just win. It advanced. And it did so by making the kind of adjustments that matter most when a key player like Pulisic is forced out—then still finding the timing, the set pieces, and the finishes to end the suspense early.
U.S. soccer World Cup group stage Australia vs U.S. Christian Pulisic Folarin Balogun Alex Freeman Ricardo Pepi Sergiño Dest Cameron Burgess knockout round