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The party continues for the U.S. Men’s National Team at the World Cup.
The U.S. beat Australia 2–0 in its second match of the tournament in Seattle on Friday afternoon.
The win solidifies that the U.S. will advance out of the group stage at the World Cup, and later Friday, with some help from Paraguay, the U.S. clinched their group.
The U.S. played without star Christian Pulisic, whose participation was questionable all week. The forward injured his calf in training before the match against Paraguay, then reaggravated it in the opener and sat out the second half. He trained separately from his teammates in the week leading up to the Australia match, and coach Mauricio Pochettino didn’t confirm Pulisic would be out until hours before the match.
“I think the feelings are good,” Pochettino said about Pulisic on Friday, “and let’s hope that as soon as possible he can be ready to be selected again and be part of the team.”
The USMNT still delivered without their biggest player. Folarin Balogun and Alex Freeman each scored in the first half. Balogun also had two goals in the 4–1 win over Paraguay.
Friday’s match has the chance to provide more huge ratings for Fox and Telemundo.
Fox had 18 million viewers for its broadcast of U.S.-Paraguay. Friday’s game could rival or beat that figure because many people have the day off work in observance of Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in the U.S.
Large supporters gatherings popped up before the match in soccer-crazed Seattle, and fans across the country packed official FIFA Fan Fests, including in Atlanta, Houston, Kansas City, and Philadelphia. Fox said out-of-home viewership has boosted its World Cup audiences by 25%.
The fan gatherings, which are mostly free, offer an alternative to the expensive match tickets across the entire tournament. On Friday morning, the get-in price for the U.S.–Australia match at the Seahawks’ Lumen Field was around $1450, according to Ticket Data.
What A Win Means for the U.S.
Paraguay’s 1–0 win over Turkey on Friday night, combined with the U.S. beating Australia earlier in the day, confirmed that the U.S. won Group D.
Because the U.S. already beat Paraguay and Australia, Turkey was the only team that could still steal the top spot under FIFA’s new tie-breaker rules that prioritize head-to-head results. But Turkey won’t have enough points to trigger a tie-breaker now that it lost to both Australia and Paraguay.
Finishing at the top of the group has many benefits for the U.S., including facing a third-place team rather than a second-place team in the Round of 32, and guaranteeing the squad can stay based on the west coast through the quarterfinals. It’s also a matter of pride: FIFA intentionally gave all three host nations favorable draws in their group. Mexico won Group A following a win over South Korea Thursday night.
And, winning the group eliminates the possibility of a highly political match against Iran in the Round of 32, which would’ve been triggered by both teams placing second in their respective groups.
FIFA’s expanded 48-team and 104-match tournament includes a new Round of 32 match. The U.S. advanced out of the group in Qatar in 2022 but lost in its first knockout match against the Netherlands.
The U.S. next takes on Turkey in Los Angeles on June 25.
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