Balogun is having a massive World Cup<\/a>. He beats his man on the flank, drives into the box and taps it over to Pepi. The unfortunate Burgess desperately intercepts, but he\u2019s three yards from his own goal, and it is in fact an own goal.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.14 EDT<\/p>\n 10 min USA in possession, but I don\u2019t think Australia really mind. As I say that, they ramp up the press.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.13 EDT<\/p>\n 9 min Good chance for the USA<\/a> as Dest finds a diagonal seam in the box. His shot is blocked.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 8 min Mathew Leckie comes in very late in a tackle and lands a hard kick to Tyler Adams\u2019 leg. Very difficult to understand why that\u2019s not a yellow card.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.12 EDT<\/p>\n 7 min Australia press and gain possession. They lose it, then regain it, then play ahead to Tour\u00e9, who is sandwiched by US defenders.<\/p>\n The red-and-white team is looking a little shaky at the moment.<\/p>\n Chris Richards and Australia’s Mohamed Toure conteat a header. Photograph: Ted S Warren\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.10 EDT<\/p>\n 6 min Good cross from McKennie on the right, but Balogun is whistled for a foul.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 4 min Our first foul is against Weston McKennie.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 3 min Robinson tries to make something happen deep on the left flank against Italiano, but his cross bangs off Italiano and back off his own leg for a goal kick.<\/p>\n Poch directs traffic from the touchline. Photograph: Jamie Squire\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.11 EDT<\/p>\n 2 min US attackers are pressing all the way up the field. It works, and Australia back off while the USA<\/a> knock the ball around.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 1 min Shocking giveaway on the US backline, with Freeman\u2019s pass eluding Richards. Tour\u00e9 shoots from a wide angle, and Freese makes an easy save.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Peep!<\/p>\n We\u2019re off.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Officials<\/p>\n Referee is Felix Zwayer, leading an all-German on-field crew.<\/p>\n Fellow German Bastian Dankert is at the VAR switch.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Frantic pre-kickoff mailbag check<\/p>\n \u201cMy prediction is that USA score within the first 20 minutes and conduct a \u201clay up\u201d goal celebration. This will infuriate the Australians and turn the game into a brawl like something from the 1962 World Cup<\/a>. Not sure what the Australian retort will be if they score. I still remember the Apolo Ohno and Roy Jones Jr celebrations against Korea in 2002. That kind of thing can really fire up a team.\u201d \u2013 John McBride<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t know the South Korean Ohno celebration, check it out. Strange story.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the USA<\/a> media made some conclusions based on the last game that, uh, might be a little (a lot) wrong. I watched Souttar quite a bit when he was a Stoke City player and he\u2019s not someone to take lightly.\u201d \u2013 Joshua Reynolds<\/p>\n \u201cTrue Blue living in Sheffield and also an Arsenal fan. Go figure. Australia are going to WIN. Then I\u2019m off to Butlins to celebrate. Socceroos is a truly AWFUL nickname but we\u2019re know stuck with it, only marginally better than the Matildas urghh. Cmon Australia. Win it for my friend Simon, currently residing in the stars.\u201d \u2013 Simone Holmes<\/p>\n \u201cI think we want a more topical name – \u201cThe Cagefighters\u201d, maybe, or \u201cThe Ballroom Boys\u201d?\u201d \u2013 Charles Antaki<\/p>\n \u201cHow about the DoodleDoos? (Following on from that universally beloved \u201cYankee Doodle Dandy\u201d ditty).\u201d \u2013 Julian Scott Yeomans<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Summary<\/p>\n Several solid pockets of yellow in the stands. Australian fans are representing.<\/p>\n Australia fans give it some ahead of kick-off. Photograph: Blake Dahlin\/Imagn Images\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.10 EDT<\/p>\n Paris Hilton is, for some reason, leading the USA<\/a> chants pregame.<\/p>\n Paris Hilton sports a bedazzled jersey at the USA-Australia match. Photograph: Emilee Chinn\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a> The atmosphere here at Lumen Field (excuse me, Seattle Stadium, how dare I) is positively electric a full 30 minutes before kickoff. This was predictable \u2014 the stadium has a well-earned reputation for being among the loudest in the United States \u2014 but it is still a sight to behold. The place is nearly full, and there are no shortage of Aussie fans as well, very prominently sat behind the goal at the south end of the stadium. Truly incredible atmosphere.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Pre-anthem mailbag<\/p>\n Sorry I can\u2019t get to everything, but please keep writing!<\/p>\n Any suggestions for a US nickname akin to \u201cSocceroos\u201d?<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough I think the nickname \u2018The Yanks\u2019 is pretty great, it\u2019s no \u2018Socceroos\u2019. And the best I can come up with is \u2018Soccer Moms\u2019 and I\u2019m ashamed I\u2019m even writing that down.\u201d \u2013 Joshua Reynolds<\/p>\n \u201cSoccerillos, of course, because of the armadillos.\u201d \u2013 Kirk Allbright<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry to trash my country, but looking at the three host mascots, USA<\/a> clearly has the worst. 1. Tiger 2. Moose 3. Eagle. As far as a good nickname, the Minutemen?\u201d \u2013 Zach Neeley<\/p>\n That might add a bit of spice the next time the USA face England.<\/p>\n An Australian perspective (and please, if you\u2019re awake in Australia right now, send me a note!):<\/p>\n \u201cAustralia needs a draw from this game. We cannot lose and leave it until the last minute against Paraguay to get a point. I\u2019m excited for this game – I think Australia can repeat their performance against Turkey barring Popovic not going back into defensive and negativity mode. Keep throwing players up on the counter and get the ball forward when we have to. No Pulisic, Irakunda and Metcalfe out could be a sign for 0-0.\u201d \u2013 James Pareskevas<\/p>\n On nomenclature:<\/p>\n \u201cFootball or soccer? It is all about who you are communicating with. When I am on a Premier League MBM I use football. Mainly because the blowback is tedious. When I post on The Athletic I say soccer, once again because it is simpler. For those UK football fans for who the term soccer is an irritant you should not have invented it.\u201d \u2013 Mary Waltz<\/p>\n I\u2019m often astounded that so many of the people who take the USA (or Australia, or Ireland, etc.) to task for the word \u201csoccer\u201d don\u2019t realize that the etymology runs through England.<\/p>\n And we have to get a word from Peter Oh: \u201cAre any of the US players wearing kangaroo leather boots?\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Australian lineup: Head-scratcher or tactical brilliance?<\/p>\n Australian Associated Press reports \u2026<\/p>\n double quotation markSocceroos coach Tony Popovic has dropped goalscorers Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe to the bench for Australia\u2019s blockbuster clash with the United States.<\/p>\n Veteran Mathew Leckie, playing for the first time at his fourth World Cup, and Nishan Velupillay are the two inclusions in attack for the game that could determine who finishes top of group D.<\/p>\n Irankunda, who was electric in the 2-0 win over Turkey, including scoring a brilliant opener, and Metcalfe, who delivered a wonderful second-half goal, loom as impact substitutes.<\/p>\n \u201cImpact substitutes\u201d could be an understatement if Australia\u2019s five-man backline can contain the US attack early.<\/p>\n Which is one reason why the US punditocracy may be just a tad overconfident, perhaps?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The rivalry?<\/p>\n Is there bad blood between the USA<\/a> and Australia? Alexander Abnos notes the feisty undertones in a relatively recent friendly:<\/p>\n A couple of players-turned-commentators have fanned the flames a bit, as Jack Snape relates:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe slandering began late last year when the USA were drawn against Australia. Former professional player and now TV pundit Mike Grella said the Socceroos represented a \u201clay-up\u201d for the hosts.<\/p>\n Grella addressed the backlash to his comments on Wednesday: \u201cI\u2019ve got tell you something, I don\u2019t think they\u2019ve ever been more united as a football side. If they do something in this tournament \u2013 which they won\u2019t \u2013 if they do something in this tournament, they should make a statue of me there in Australia, because I\u2019ve unified an entire country.\u201d<\/p>\n The barbs didn\u2019t stop with him. Former USA player Landon Donovan also dismissed the Socceroos\u2019 chances after the draw, and took aim at Australia\u2019s \u201csmug\u201d coach. \u201cYou can get on the Qantas airplane and head back home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n I feel obliged to note that Grella and I went to the same college. Many years apart.<\/p>\n But Snape also notes that the countries and their soccer cultures are similar \u2013 youth participation has been strong, but building professional success is a work in progress.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Starting XIs: Pulisic out<\/p>\n The injury that was downplayed during the opening game against Paraguay is apparently more serious than first indicated. Throughout the week, the driving force of the US attack was limited in training, raising questions about his availability today.<\/p>\n He is indeed not available. Ricardo Pepi will take his place.<\/p>\n Ricardo Pepi<\/a><\/p>\n Australia will have five at the back, so it\u2019ll be important for Jordan Bos (Feyenoord) on the left and Jacob Italiano (Grazer AK) on the right to get forward. The USA<\/a> lineup includes two players who\u2019ve spent time as wingbacks, and left back Antonee \u201cJedi\u201d Robinson (Fulham) is likely to play that role, but the broadcasters\u2019 graphics are insisting that Sergi\u00f1o Dest (PSV Eindhoven) will be in midfield, not at the back.<\/p>\n The full lineups:<\/p>\n Australia: Beach; Bos, Burgess, Souttar, Circati, Italiano; Velupillay, Okon-Engstler, O\u2019Neill, Leckie; Toure<\/p>\n USA: Freese; Robinson, Ream, Richards, Freeman; Dest, Adams, Tillman, McKennie; Pepi, Balogun<\/p>\n Neither of Australia\u2019s scorers from the 2-0 win over Turkiye, Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe, will start.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n What\u2019s at stake \u2026<\/p>\n The US men are out to do what no US men\u2019s team have done in 96 years.<\/p>\n Win a second consecutive World Cup<\/a> match.<\/p>\n Only twice have the US men followed a World Cup win with anything other than a loss. In 2002, they kept enough momentum from their opening win against Portugal to get a draw against South Korea, then lost to Poland and needed a Portuguese meltdown in another group game to advance to the famous 2-0 win over Mexico in the Round of 16. In their credible run in 2014, they followed the exorcism against Ghana by snatching a draw from the jaws of victory against Portugal, then bowing out with two dignified defeats against Germany and Belgium.<\/p>\n More commonly, a US men\u2019s World Cup win is followed by a game fans would rather forget. In 1950, the famous win against England preceded a 5-2 defeat by Chile. In 1994, the last time the Cup was on US soil, they followed their rousing win against Colombia with a loss to Romania that reminded the casual US sports fan why they didn\u2019t really care for soccer. In 2010, the \u201cHoward to Donovan to Altidore to Dempsey to wow this is really happening DONOVAN SCORES ON THE REBOUND AHHHHHHHHH!! BAR CELEBRATIONS GO VIRAL<\/a>\u201d win over Algeria sent them to a second straight elimination at the feet of Ghana. Then in 2022, the Flying Pulisics avenged a 1998 loss to Iran but ran into the Netherlands.<\/p>\n Australia won two straight World Cup* games in 2022, beating Tunisia and Denmark to reach the knockout rounds, but they can also make history. The Socceroos have never finished first in a World Cup group. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head results, so if Australia win this game, it would take a convoluted series of results (Paraguay over Turkiye, Paraguay over Australia, USA<\/a> over Turkiye) to complicate matters.<\/p>\n Before the 2022 Cup, the Socceroos had only won two World Cup games in their history \u2013 one in 2006, when they also got a draw to advance to the knockouts, and one in 2010.<\/p>\n (*) \u2013 pointing out once again that the term \u201cWorld Cup\u201d refers to the entire tournament including qualification, so what I\u2019m describing above is technically based on results from World Cup finals, which is the term for the 32-team \u2026 I mean, 48-team \u2026 tournament we\u2019re watching now.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> With Christian Pulisic out, Mauricio Pochettino opts for a big man\/little man strike partnership with Ricardo Pepi slotting in alongside Folarin Balogun. Pepi is the pool\u2019s best hold-up forward, willing to drop into midfield to help in possession sequences and a consistent contributor to a frontline press. He can now do all kinds of off-ball work with Balogun able to stretch the backline and keep Australia from clamping into too tight a defensive block.<\/p>\n Malik Tillman, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie offers adequate balance in midfield, with width coming via Sergi\u00f1o Dest and Antonee Robinson.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Christian Pulisic is outChristian Pulisic walked the field with teammates before the match. Photograph: Sarah Stier\/FIFA\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The lineups are out, and Christian Pulisic is not only not among the starters, but he\u2019s not listed among the subs either. Mauricio Pochettino has told the Fox pregame broadcast that the US star is unavailable.<\/p>\n Pulisic has been dealing with a calf injury since before the first game against Paraguay, which was aggravated in the first half. Pulisic exited at half-time of the 4-1 win.<\/p>\n Ricardo Pepi comes into the XI in his place, which will presumably change the look considerably.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.03 EDT<\/p>\n Preamble<\/p>\n Welcome to a matchup between two countries united by one vital fact \u2026<\/p>\n Both countries refer to this sport as \u201csoccer\u201d rather than \u201cfootball.\u201d<\/p>\n Actually, most English-speaking countries commonly use the word soccer. Consider Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa.<\/p>\n Australia is unique in the sense that the word is incorporated in their nickname \u2013 Socceroos. Which raises an important question: Why doesn\u2019t the US team have a cool nickname like that?<\/p>\n Feel free to send in your ideas while waiting for this one to start. In any case, this is a vital game, with each team poised to advance to the knockout rounds.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, here\u2019s a look at what Australia and the USA<\/a> will each need to do to win Friday\u2019s clash in Seattle:<\/p>\n Australia<\/p>\n Back Nestory Irankunda: the 20-year-old was expected to be an impact player at this World Cup, coming on as a substitute to affect matches against tiring opposition. A player of the match performance<\/a> when starting against Turkey showed how Irankunda has become one of the Socceroos\u2019 most important players. While still learning his wing-craft, his speed and determination without the ball are vital in a Socceroos outfit seemingly happy to give their opponents\u2019 possession, and his ability to make the most of transition and direct opportunities \u2013 as seen for his opening goal against Turkey \u2013 can be a superpower.<\/p>\n United States<\/p>\n Midfield rotations are key: this is the kind of thing that any USMNT fan would have known before last week\u2019s fantastic opener, but the nature of the US\u2019s play<\/a> in that game made it especially so. Paraguay head coach Gustavo Alfaro took time in his presser to specifically compliment the starting trio of Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and Malik Tillman, whom he described as \u201cfloating\u201d and a key part of a \u201cpentagon\u201d of play. For as well as Australia played against Turkey, they did not dictate the tempo, conceding more than 70% of possession and getting overrun in the centre of the park. If the US are going to do something with similar levels of possession, they\u2019ll need their midfield to continue rotating effectively to help pull the Socceroos\u2019 back two lines out of shape, manufacturing gaps in what had proven to be an airtight defence.<\/p>\n![\"Alexander](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781896511_95_Alexander_Abnos.png\")
Alexander Abnos<\/p>\n![\"Pablo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Pablo_Mauerer.png\")
Pablo Iglesias Maurer<\/p>\n![\"Jeff](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781896512_753_Jeff_Rueter,_L.png\")
Jeff Rueter<\/p>\n