FIFA World Cup 2026: US defeat Australia, reach round of 32 without Pulisic; Pochettino says ‘If we want to win….’

The United States proved they can succeed without Christian Pulisic, defeating Australia 2-0 on Friday to secure a place in the World Cup round of 32. However, head coach Mauricio Pochettino said he hopes his star player will be fit to return for the team’s next match.

Pulisic was unavailable for the Group D encounter in Seattle after suffering a calf injury during the Americans’ opening victory over Paraguay, leaving the co-hosts without their key attacking threat.

Despite his absence, the US delivered a strong performance. They took the lead in the 11th minute when Australia’s Cameron Burgess scored an own goal. Alex Freeman then doubled the advantage just before halftime, heading home after a VAR review overturned an initial offside call.

“It’s always difficult because we want to have all the players,” Pochettino said. “Christian is an important player for us, but… it was impossible today for him to play. We hope that next game he will be available.”

The US moved to six points and secured their place in the knockout rounds with one group-stage match still to play.

Pochettino said Pulisic remained central to his plans but added that any successful World Cup run would require contributions from the entire squad.

“If we want to win the competition, we need the whole team,” he said. “All the players need to be important.

“Of course, Christian is one of the best players in the world. I hope that he can recover as soon as possible and can enjoy being on the pitch and helping the team.”

Weston McKennie lauded the depth of the US squad, saying Friday’s performance demonstrated the team’s ability to adapt and deliver in any situation.

“We can play the physical game because we have guys on the field who are ready to step up for that, and we have guys with quality who can play possession-based football,” he said.

The Americans will wrap up their Group D campaign against Turkey on Thursday at Los Angeles Stadium.

If Turkey either draws or loses to Paraguay later on Friday, the United States will secure first place in Group D. The Americans are scheduled to face Turkey in their final group-stage match on Thursday.

Although Christian Pulisic was seen training with the team on Wednesday, head coach Mauricio Pochettino said after the Australia match that it had been “impossible” for him to play on Friday. Earlier in the week, Pochettino had indicated that Pulisic would likely be available against Turkey if he missed the Australia game, but after the match he only expressed hope that the star forward could “help the team as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, Folarin Balogun continued his impressive World Cup form. After scoring twice against Paraguay in the opening match, he played a key role again on Friday by helping create an own goal. As a result, the United States became the first team in World Cup history to benefit from own goals in back-to-back matches.