SEATTLE: The United States advanced to the World Cup knockout rounds with a game to spare following an impressive 2-0 win over Australia on Friday, stoking the hopes of an already hyped host nation.

The US join fellow tournament co-hosts Mexico as the first teams to progress, and could be assured top spot in Group D if Turkiye fail to beat Paraguay.

Excitement had been running high from last week’s US thrashing of Paraguay.

And a glorious day in the Pacific northwest did not disappoint the red-and-white-clad fans who packed Seattle’s Lumen Field and its surrounding streets and bars.

Even before kickoff, chants of “USA” rocked a stadium best known as the raucous home of the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

Without injured talisman attacker Christian Pulisic, who failed to recover from a calf issue in time, coach Mauricio Pochettino switched to a 4-4-2 formation, bringing in second striker Ricardo Pepi.

For the second game running, the US were gifted an early lead, thanks to an own goal in the 11th minute.

Playing slightly wider than usual, star striker Folarin Balogun raced down the left and cut the ball back from the byline.

Toothless Australia

Having surprisingly dropped both goal scorers from their impressive opening win over Turkiye, Australia looked toothless.

The US controlled possession and were lively and dynamic on the attack, Weston McKennie and Sergino Dest combining well down the right flank.

Alex Freeman doubled the US lead in the 44th minute from what was surprisingly his team’s first shot on target.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2026