SEATTLE – The U.S. Men’s National Team finds itself in a rare and unique position entering its second FIFA World Cup match on Friday.
Not only can the Americans register two group-stage wins for only the second time in the competition’s 96-year history, but they can also clinch a spot in the knockout round with some outside help. And just as important, they continue to turn heads and grab the attention of general sports fans.
There has been a groundswell of support and more interest in the team after the U.S. dispatched Paraguay, 4-1, in its Group D opener on June 12, entering Friday’s match against Australia at Lumen Field (FOX, Telemundo, 3 p.m. ET). It was the first time the USMNT scored four goals in a World Cup match.
“We’re all aware of it,” said midfielder Cristian Roldan, who captains the local Major League Soccer club, the Seattle Sounders. “We all have social media. We constantly have the TV on, watching other games on Fox Sports. They’re talking about the U.S. We’re grounded. We understand that it was just one game. But what excites me is that the entire world, the entire nation, is behind us. I think that they enjoyed watching us play.”
It also goes beyond what is happening now. The U.S. has an opportunity to build off of success in this World Cup for future generations.
In 1994, the USA’s success helped MLS get off to a start two years later. The league has expanded from 10 to 30 teams.
Many record TV ratings
Ratings from the opening match went through the roof, shattering records. FOX Sports and Telemundo drew a combined record 24,886,000 viewers. The broadcast more than doubled the USA’s 2022 World Cup opener against Wales (7,763,000).
FOX Sports announced that it averaged 15,986,000 viewers for the English broadcast across FOX, Tubi and streaming on Fox One. Telemundo’s audience was 8.9 million viewers across Telemundo, Peacock, and its streaming platforms.
“At the end of the day, what we want to do is inspire and motivate the next generation,” Roldan said. “And with performances like Paraguay, we’re going to have up-and-coming stars coming through. But we have to build off it. That’s the truth, where we can’t just talk about it. We have to show out against Australia.”
The only other time the U.S. won twice in the opening round came in the very first World Cup in 1930 in Uruguay, when only 13 teams attended in what was an invitational tournament. The Americans, who won their group, reached the semifinals before they were eliminated by Argentina, 6-1. The media essentially ignored that achievement at the time.
The USMNT (1-0-0, 3 points) can win Group D if it downs Australia (1-0-0, 3) and Paraguay (0-1-0, 0) wins or draws against Türkiye (0-1-0,0). If that happens, the USA will play a third-place side from Groups B, E, F, I, or J in its first knockout match in San Francisco on July 1.
Will Christian Pulisic be available to play?
The big question entering the match is the availability of star forward Christian Pulisic, who suffered a left calf injury against Paraguay. He was subbed out at halftime. Pulisic has been practicing away from his teammates, in modified training, since Monday.
U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino said a final decision on Pulisic’s availability will be made either Thursday night or Friday.
“He was training in a way the whole week,” he said during a press conference at Lumen Field. “But like always, I think tonight or the day before the game, we have a meeting in our medical area and we will assess the whole group, the players. Tomorrow we will communicate. Tonight here, he’s evolving. He’s much better.
“We’ll see. I think at the moment we see [if he’s] not available for tomorrow, he will be available for the next game. I think he’s doing a massive effort trying to be ready. I think for every single player that loves the country it’s an amazing opportunity to show you to help the team, perform, to win games. When this type of thing happens, it is always painful. But I think Christian is strong and a great mentality. He’s doing a fantastic effort to try to be as ready as much as possible.”
Pulisic has not been made available to the media this past week, but his teammates were optimistic that he would be able to contribute.
“Hopefully, he can be there tomorrow,” midfielder Weston McKennie said at the University of Washington on Thursday. “I know he really wants to be, and he’s doing everything he can. The staff is doing everything they can as well. That’s probably better to ask him rather than me. I’m in my own la la land.”
USMNT faces one difficult foe in Australia
The USA rolled to a 4-1 victory in its opener over Paraguay on June 12, in a near-perfect result. It was only the third time in a dozen World Cup appearances in which the team won its opening game, duplicating performances in 1930 and 2002.
McKennie, along with Malik Tillman and Tyler Adams, formed a lethal triumvirate that dominated the midfield against Paraguay. They will be asked to duplicate that feat against the Socceroos.
Despite recording an impressive showing, the U.S. players aren’t assuming Australia will be a walk in the park.
“It’s going to be one of the most difficult games that we play,” Adams said. “We saw a team that went out against Türkiye and competed at a very high level. They’re combative, they’re smart. Tactically, they were unbelievably sound. So I think it’s going to be an extremely difficult game.
“Looking at the game defensively, they were really, really sound. They didn’t give up a ton of chances, winning duels. … It was a really combative game in that friendly.”
Adams, who incurred a yellow card against Paraguay, knows how important he will need to go full throttle against Australia, even if it means picking up another yellow. That would mean a one-game suspension for the June 25, encounter against Türkiye in the team’s final group-stage encounter at SoFi Stadium.
“It’s something that you have to manage, of course, but especially in the second game, you can’t take your foot off the gas,” he said. “You have to be really aggressive. I think in the third game, obviously, it weighs a little bit heavier because if you get another one, then you’re off of the knockout. But in the second one, foot on your gas for that game.”
Added defender Sergino Dest: “I feel like we’re still all hungry. We had a great game against Paraguay, but we want more. So, we are hungry to show all the opponents in the group and the world what we’ve got.”
Michael Lewis, the sixth recipient of the Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award in 2025, can be followed on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky at @Soccerwriter. His 10th soccer book, Around the World Cup in 40 Years: An American sportswriter’s perspective, has been published.
