Seattle, Wash. – It’s a battle of the top two teams in Group D as the USMNT takes on Australia in the second match of the group stage. Both teams won their first game of the tournament. This now sets up a win-and-advance scenario for both teams. The USA, fresh off a 4-1 thumping of Paraguay, has its eyes set on a round of 32 berth, but a stalwart Australian backline stands in its way. Can the USMNT continue the vibes from the Paraguay thumping? Will the Australian backline continue to frustrate opponents? Let’s take a look at the matchup.
When: Friday, June 19th @ 1:00 p.m. MST
Where: Seattle Stadium / Lumen Field / Seattle, Washington
TV/Streaming: Telemundo, Fubo Sports, Tubi, FOX One, FOX 4K, FOX, Peacock ES, FOX Sports 4K, FOX Sports
(Almost) Perfect Start to World Cup
A Paraguay goal that was against the run of play was the only disappointment from a stunning first game for the USA. It was the most goals that the USMNT has ever scored at a World Cup match. It was one of, if not the most dominant, first halves of any half at the World Cup so far. The USMNT were all over Paraguay from minute one to halftime. At 3-0, Paraguay had to huddle at the halfway line when the halftime whistle blew. Paraguay didn’t know what hit them.
The second half calmed down for both sides. The US was still clearly the better side, but both sides tallied one more to finish the game with a 4-1 scoreline. A big reason for the drop off was the substitution of Christian Pulisic. The star winger had calf tightness after a challenge in the first half and was a halftime sub. Mauricio Pochettino said this switch was cautionary, but Pulisic’s availability for Australia is in doubt. It would be a huge blow for the USA if he can’t go on Friday.
If the USMNT can continue to dominate teams like they dominated Paraguay in the first half, this is a dangerous side. Not just in the group, but in the knockouts as well. There are not many teams in the world that could handle the US side that showed up in Los Angeles. The problem is maintaining that level of dominance. Pulisic was a big loss going from the first half to the second, but the level inevitably dropped off. It can be tiring to be all over the opponent like that for 90 minutes. Poch and Co will have to be smart in when they turn it on, and the players will have to be on the ball again to make sure they can play in a similar way against Australia.
Lineup Prediction:
Freese / Freeman, Richards, Ream (c) / Dest, McKennie, Adams, A. Robinson / Pulisic, Tillman / Balogun
The big concern for the US going into the Paraguay match was Chris Richards. He played the full 90 and looked good throughout the match. Now the concern flips to Christian Pulisic. It is unknown if he will be ready to play. The general vibe within the camp is that he will be ready, at least from the players. Pulisic was instrumental in the win against Paraguay. He will be a key piece in this team.
If everyone is healthy, Poch would do well to not mess with what works. The US looked really comfortable and had strong chemistry among the players against Paraguay. There is just something special about this team. There are concerns about suspensions if certain players get yellow cards. It feels too early in the competition to be worried about that, however. Better to miss a group stage game than a potential knockout game. But it’s also better to have your best players available to reach the knockout game. A lot to consider for Mauricio Pochettino.
Gio Reyna’s goal might make it look different, but the US looked worse with every substitution at SoFi Stadium. Not by much, but no substitutions made a great argument for getting the nod from the start. To be fair to the subs, it was going to be nearly impossible to make the team look better after that first half. It was always going to be an unfair fight. That being said, a Gio Reyna or a Tim Weah can almost seamlessly fill in for this team in Seattle if needed.
Australia Thrives in Defensive Win
It was one of the shocks of the tournament when Australia took care of business against Turkiye in their first group stage match. Looking at the group, it looked to be a battle between the US and Turkiye for first, with Australia making a good shout for being one of the better third-place teams. This still could happen, but it will take a lot after a 2-0 win for the Aussies.
It was a masterclass in defend-first and attack-maybe. Pablo Mastroeni would be so proud. Turkiye had 72% possession, 30 shots, and had 400 more passes. But with only 28% of the ball, Australia only lost the expected goals battle by 0.18 xG, and of course won the game 2-0. Australia was stalwart in their 5-4-1 formation, keeping all eleven behind the ball for most of the game. Their two goals came from counterattacks and individual brilliance. It will be hard to replicate that success again, but it’s going to be equally as hard for the USMNT to break down the Aussie backline.
It might not be as surprising, but Lucas Herrington was an unused substitute against Turkiye. This ended up working out well for Australia. Unfortunate for Herrington. Hopefully, the US can put a real beatdown on Australia, forcing the coach to look to the bench for better center-back options. It would be great if Herrington could see the field at the World Cup.
Prediction: The USA continue to play well, and are able to break through the Australian backline better than Turkiye. The USMNT wins this one 2-1.
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Matt Pollard 
Eamon Shaw 