SEATTLE STADIUM — No Christian Pulisic? No problem. With the U.S. men’s national team’s best attacking player on the bench because of a lingering calf injury, Mauricio Pochettino’s squad qualified for the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a game to spare by beating Australia 2-0 in their second group stage match in front of a raucous home crowd in what many consider the best soccer city in America. For the second time in as many games, the U.S. struck first on an own goal to take a lead they would never relinquish. Defender Alex Freeman added the backbreaking second just before halftime; his third career U.S. goal was confirmed following a lengthy video review that reversed the call on the field; the assistant referee had initially ruled that Freeman was offside. Down by two, the Aussies poured on the pressure in the second half. But while the U.S. bent, it didn't break, with the home team securing their first shutout in 11 games — an encouraging sign for the tougher tests that await them in the weeks to come. Here are four quick takeaways following Friday’s victory. 1. USA Makes History By Advancing For any World Cup participant, no matter how successful historically, the first goal is obvious: survive and advance to the second, win-or-go-home round, and then take things game by do-or-die game from there. Plenty of soccer’s elite teams have failed this test. Take Germany, which was eliminated in group play in each of the last two editions of soccer’s quadrennial showpiece after claiming their fourth title in 2014. (Only Brazil has more.) With Friday's win, the USA is off to the business end of the World Cup for the fourth straight time. Sure, that doesn’t include 2018, when the U.S. failed to get to the tournament at all, snapping a streak that dated to 1990. But they made history on Friday by clinching a place in the last 32 early; never before had their fate been decided before the final contest of the opening round. 2. Americans Create Their Own Luck — Again Getting the first goal in this game was always going to be hugely important for either team. And just like in their tournament opening 4-1 win over Paraguay last week, the visitors were dangerous early, pressuring U.S. center backs Tim Ream and Chris Richards with abandon. But it was the home team that struck first again thanks to another own goal, this time by Socceroos center back Cameron Burgess. They became the only team in the almost 100-year history of the competition to profit from own goals in consecutive World Cup games. 3. Alex Freeman makes his mark in front of the world Just over a year ago, the soccer-playing son of Super Bowl winner and Green Bay Packers great Antonio Freeman had never made an appearance for the senior USA squad. But in his first season as a regular starter for Orlando City in MLS, the 6-foot-2 fullback caught the eye of U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino and his staff, became a starter for the national team, and never looked back, ending 2025 with his first two international goals in a World Cup tune-up win over two time champions Uruguay and moving to Spanish power and UEFA Champions League mainstay Villarreal over the winter. On Friday, he took a bow on the biggest stage in sports, scoring the second American goal just before halftime. 4. Take a bow, Seattle In sports as in life, reality surpasses fantasy. But for a city that had been waiting more than 50 years to host the U.S. at a World Cup — men’s or women’s — Friday’s game and the lead up to blew whatever lofty exceptions there were beforehand straight out of Puget Sound. This scene in Seattle was hard to describe. From Pike Place to Pioneer Square, the Emerald City was awash with USA jerseys from every era. There were also plenty of yellow Australia shirts to be seen around town and in the grandiose, almost 70,000-seat downtown arena, with visiting supporters taking up a huge area behind one of the goals and in a sprawling corner in the far reaches of the upper deck. The atmosphere they created was off the charts. And, as predicted by the U.S. players on the eve of the contest, the overwhelming pro-American crowd played a major role in willing the World Cup co-hosts to another unforgettable victory on home soil. Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports who has covered United States men's and women's national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.
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