The United States Men’s National Team defeated Australia on Friday afternoon at Seattle Soccer Stadium in Seattle, Wash. on Matchday 2 of Group D of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. An own goal and an Alex Freeman header put the Red, White and Blue on top over the Socceroos.
Australia found an early chance in the 1st minute of the match when Mohamed Touré intercepted a mis-pass from Alex Freeman. Dribbling toward the right side of the box, the striker attempted a driven shot near post, but Matt Freese was able to make the save.
In the 9th minute, Westin Mckinnie and Segiño Dest displayed a give and go combination near the right side of the box where Dest eventually found space to get a shot off. But, a strong defensive block from Australia’s Cameron Burgess prevented the opportunity.
The U.S.'s attacking pressure came to fruition two minutes later when Folarin Balogun drove toward goal from the left flank and — with numbers in the box — played a cross from close range that resulted in an own goal from Burgess.
Australia had a potential opportunity to equalize in the 22nd minute when Leckie found the ball from the right flank, where he produced a picture perfect cross toward the six-yard-box for Nishan Vekupillay to run onto. It was defender Alex Freeman who got a hold of it first, however, making an excellent sliding effort to push the ball out for a corner kick.
In the 43rd minute, the United States earned a free kick after a battle for possession near the right corner of the attacking half. Antonee Robinson delivered the ball to an unmarked Dest at the top of the penalty area, and after Dest's shot was deflected, the loose ball fell to Freeman, who headed it into the net to double the U.S. lead.
Dest nearly got a third for the U.S. in the 7th minute of first-half added time when Freeman cut the ball back to the winger just outside the center of the eighteen. Dest rocketed a shot toward the far post, but his strike was put to a halt by Patrick Beach.
The U.S. continued their strong momentum into the second half when, in the 52nd minute, Tyler Adams played a perfect ball in behind to Balogun who made a breakaway run toward goal. Inches away from scoring, his shot was blocked by Alessandro Circati, who stepped in front of the attempt.
A chance for Australia came in the 62nd minute off a counterattack, when Nestory Irankunda received the ball off a stellar through ball into their attacking half. The midfielder laid the ball back to Cristian Volpato to hit the ball first-time from inside the box, but he skied it over the net.
In the 84th minute, a corner kick was recycled back into the box from the Socceroos, as Jacob Italiano guided a cross to the far post. In a scramble, Jason Geria managed to get a hold of it, but his shot was stopped by Adams and the play eventually died out with a foul called against Australia.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Tillman and Balogun broke forward in a 2-v-2 attack. Tillman played a pass across the face of goal, but it rolled just too far ahead of Balogun, preventing the forward from getting a shot off.
Australia put on the pressure in the latter half of the second 45, but it wasn’t enough to climb back from the 2-goal deficit, leaving the U.S. with the win and three points in Seattle.
The Game Belongs to the People
After the World Cup, keep the soccer celebration going with Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers on June 16. Tickets start at just $20.26, making the biggest match of the year one of the easiest ways to experience Seattle soccer live.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
U.S. moves to knockout rounds
With the win over Paraguay on June 12 and the result against the Socceroos, the U.S. are now guaranteed a spot in the Round of 32. Tonight’s match against Paraguay and Turkey could determine if they finish first in their group.
Win without “Captain America”
Despite being without U.S. superstar Cristian Pulisic, due to a calf injury, the team carved out a dominant, shutout win over Australia on Friday afternoon.
Formidable Freeman
During his 90 minutes of action, Alex Freeman had a passing accuracy rate of 91%, made five clearances, four tackles, and two interceptions. In addition to his dominant efforts on defense, he tallied the U.S.’s second goal of the match. His second-half goal marked his first-ever in World Cup competition.
Sold out stadium
The USA - Australia match produced a sell-out crowd at Seattle Stadium with 66,925 people in attendance.
