A dream start for the United States Men’s National Team continued on Friday, and the dream will continue into the next round.
The United States World Cup team clinched a spot in the knockout stage with its 2-0 victory over Australia in Seattle on Friday afternoon, its second win in as many games in this World Cup.
It’s the first time since the inaugural World Cup in 1930 that the United States has won back-to-back World Cup games.
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The United States’ second World Cup match got off to an awfully familiar start. Flo Balogun’s pass hit Australia’s Cameron Burgess and was directed into the net, resulting in an own goal in the 10th minute and giving the Americans an early lead in the group stage matchup.
It was the first time in World Cup history in which a team benefited from own goals in back-to-back games.
The field stayed tilted after the first goal, with the Stars and Stripes getting plenty of chances. Amazingly enough, though, they did not have a shot on goal for roughly 43 minutes.
But the U.S. found the back of the net at the tail end of that 43rd minute after a free kick was stopped, and then Alex Freeman, the son of former NFL player Antonio Freeman, headed a ball in. Officials initially ruled it offside, but a VAR check reversed the call, sending Seattle’s Lumen Field into a frenzy and giving Freeman, the youngest player on the roster at just 21-years-old, his first World Cup goal.
Through 71 minutes, the United States had possession of the ball for over 60% of the time as opposed to nearly 30% for Australia.
The United States is now 11-2-1 when scoring first in the World Cup.
It was announced before the game that Christian Pulisic would not play after suffering a calf injury last week. However, the Americans hardly missed a beat without him.
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The team already has six goals in group play, tying its group stage record.
With its 2-0 record, the United States is in first place with six points, while Australia remains with three and in second place. Both Paraguay and Turkey, who face off on Friday to potentially determine the USA’s group fate, are winless with zero points.
The United States would clinch a Group D victory, and a favorable draw in the Round of 32, if Paraguay either beats or ties with Turkey — that game kicks off at 11 p.m. ET.
However, a Turkey loss may actually not affect the United States too negatively. Sure, they would be in last place in the group by three points; but the U.S. would be able to rest a lot of its players — namely Pulisic — to give Turkey a favorable matchup to potentially snatch a Round of 32 spot.
The top two finishers from each of the 12 groups advance, as well as the eight-best third-place finishers. So while the U.S. may be able to sit comfortably for its own sake, it could certainly be involved in some mayhem.
No matter the case, the United States will take the pitch back in Los Angeles against Turkey next Thursday.
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