{"id":2802,"date":"2026-06-20T17:33:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T17:33:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=2802"},"modified":"2026-06-20T17:33:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T17:33:56","slug":"us-reaches-world-cup-knockout-round-and-wins-its-group-with-2nd-straight-victory-2-0-over-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=2802","title":{"rendered":"US reaches World Cup knockout round and wins its group with 2nd straight victory, 2-0 over Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

SEATTLE (AP) \u2014 Christian Pulisic\u2019s injury absence didn\u2019t hurt the United States one bit.<\/p>\n

Read more Paraguay beats Turkey 1-0 at the World Cup despite being down a man to clinch Group D for US<\/a><\/p>\n

The Americans advanced to the knockout round of the World Cup without their injured star forward, beating Australia 2-0 on Friday for their second straight victory in the expanded 48-team tournament. The U.S. then won Group D when Paraguay beat Turkey 1-0 early Saturday morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cC.P. is a fantastic player \u2014 the quality and the leadership that he gives us,\u201d said Folarin Balogun, who scored two goals in the 4-1 victory over Paraguay on June 12. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have him today, but I think you saw we\u2019re still capable to go out there and get a result and put up a performance.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the Group D winner, the U.S. will play a round-of-32 match on July 1 in Santa Clara, California, against a third-place group finisher.<\/p>\n

Pulisic, who plays for AC Milan and has 33 goals in 87 international appearances, missed Friday\u2019s match because of a calf injury.<\/p>\n

Playing without a talent like Pulisic could have derailed previous American World Cup teams. But much has changed since the last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup in 1994, when it advanced by being one of the best third-place teams. The Americans lost to eventual champion Brazil in the round of 16.<\/p>\n

The U.S. has won consecutive games at a World Cup for the first time since 1930. The Americans have scored six goals, one off their record for a World Cup, and received contributions throughout their roster.<\/p>\n

Alex Freeman, the youngest player on the team at 21 and the son of former NFL wide receiver and Super Bowl champion Antonio Freeman, made it 2-0 in the 43rd minute off a set piece. Freeman headed in a deflected shot by Sergi\u00f1o Dest for his first career World Cup goal. The goal was confirmed after a video review.<\/p>\n

\u201c(He) is doing a fantastic job,\u201d coach Mauricio Pochettino said of Freeman. \u201cThe evolution is massive. He\u2019s so humble. He wants to learn. He always listens. He\u2019s a player that you really enjoy being with him. Not only coaching, but being with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The U.S. took a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute after a run down the left sideline by Balogun.<\/p>\n

Read more Matheus Cunha scores 2 goals as Brazil eliminates Haiti from World Cup with 3-0 win<\/a><\/p>\n

He directed a centering pass toward striker Ricardo Pepi, who started in place of Pulisic. The ball never reached Pepi, deflecting off Australia defender Cameron Burgess and into the Socceroos\u2019 net for an own-goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be dangerous, I want to create opportunities,\u201d Balogun said. \u201cIt might not always be myself that scores, but if I can force an error that gives us the lead, then for me it’s like a goal as well. It was a special start to the game to give us the momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Americans did not score after halftime, but the way they so thoroughly dominated Australia in the opening 45 minutes left an impression on Socceroos coach Tony Popovic.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt did not surprise us because their quality is clear,\u201d Popovic said. \u201cTheir power is clear. Their athleticism is clear. They are not surprising in what they did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Expectations will only increase for the U.S. as momentum builds around the team. The Americans’ start to the tournament has not changed Pochettino’s perception of his squad and its potential.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s much better when you show good performances and win the games,\u201d Pochettino said. \u201cI think that makes it easier, everything. But, at the same time, it\u2019s (important) to keep believing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The U.S. learned it can get out of the group stage without Pulisic. And it has the roster to make a deep run.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know how vital Christian is to the team and how much he can contribute in the game,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cFor us it was, we have Ricardo Pepi, who came in and had an amazing game. I think that just shows how (good) our roster is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Mexico becomes first country to reach knockout stage of World Cup, beating South Korea 1-0<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP World Cup: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SEATTLE (AP) \u2014 Christian Pulisic\u2019s injury absence didn\u2019t hurt the United States one bit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2801,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nUS reaches World Cup knockout round and wins its group with 2nd straight victory, 2-0 over Australia - South Florida Moving Guides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=2802\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US reaches World Cup knockout round and wins its group with 2nd straight victory, 2-0 over Australia - 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