The U.S. men’s national team continues its FIFA World Cup campaign on home soil by taking on AFC representatives Australia at Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field) on Friday.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team started its World Cup on the right foot after defeating Paraguay 4-1 in the opener at Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium), while Australia defeated Türkiye 2-0 in Vancouver. Although these two teams faced each other in October in a friendly in Colorado — which the U.S. won 2-1 — both sides will go into this match under different circumstances, knowing that a win would put them into the round of 32.
ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle and Joey Lynch take a look at how both teams will match up in Seattle and who will have the advantage.
Underdog Australians to use height and speed
Australia will head into their meeting with their confidence significantly boosted by a 2-0 upset win over Türkiye, one in which coach Tony Popovic sprung a couple of huge surprises at the selection table before overseeing one of the most well-executed defensive displays in recent World Cup history.
Setting up in the 3-4-2-1 in possession, 5-4-1 out-of-possession approach that they have become accustomed to under Popovic, the Socceroos did show a willingness to press Türkiye when they were inside their own territory, but once their opponents went forward, they were able to settle into their block and clamp down on space in the middle of the pitch, forcing a nominally high-powered Türkiye wide.
From there, any deliveries into the penalty area could be feasted upon by a center-back trio and a goalkeeper all over 6 feet tall, with 6-foot-6 Harry Souttar at the heart of it all. When they won the ball, the Australians looked to push it forward quickly and directly, with a particular focus on trying to get striker Mohamed Touré and winger Nestory Irankunda in behind.
It was the latter who demonstrated his game-breaking ability and clinical finishing to put his side ahead in the first half, a vital goal given that the Socceroos’ game plan is highly dependent on game state — the side not suited to coming out of its shell and taking the impetus as the ball-dominant side.
It will surprise few, then, that Irankunda shapes as one of the most pressing challenges that Pochettino will need to solve if the United States are to blunt Australia, the one-time Bayern Munich prospect (the Bavarian giants were smart to insert a buy-back clause when he went to Watford), lightning quick and more than capable of exploiting any space a Tim Ream-led backline leaves for him.
Figuring out a way to get past Souttar, too, will be a challenge, with the towering defender, who has just returned from tearing his Achilles twice in quick succession, seemingly turning into one of the world’s best defenders at World Cups.
The contest also shapes as a new challenge for the United States in that they’ll come up against an opponent that is just as, if not more, physically gifted than they are. While they struggled in the Colorado altitude in their 2-1 friendly loss last October, Australia staged a near monthlong training camp in Florida heading into this tournament and believe they are the fittest side in North America, boosting their natural size and strength.
Mentally, while the Australians have been doing their best to downplay the war of words between the two nations’ punditry class leading into the game, that’s almost certainly to deny their American counterparts any bulletin board material of their own.
We know for a fact Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s dismissal of the side was used as motivation ahead of their upset win, and, internally, a collective being fostered by Popovic will feast on notions of being disrespected, the underdog role the favored one of any Australian outfit in any sport. — Lynch
With or without Pulisic, the U.S. must continue its great momentum
The U.S. enjoyed one of the more impressive performances in its World Cup history when it beat Paraguay 4-1 in its opening match. The Americans were dominant for nearly the entire match on both ends of the field. But almost immediately afterward, the U.S. players turned their focus to Australia, well aware that one game does not a World Cup make, and that Australia figures to be a much tougher opponent than Paraguay was.
The win came at a cost, as well. U.S. attacker Christian Pulisic aggravated a left calf injury he sustained two days before the match, and he hasn’t been seen training with the full group since.
His status has been termed “day-to-day” by U.S. Soccer staff, which provides little in the way of detail in terms of whether Pulisic will actually play against the Socceroos. The situation is worth monitoring because against Paraguay, the Americans’ level of play dropped noticeably when he was substituted at halftime.
Who will replace Pulisic if he can’t go? Gio Reyna came off the bench to score against Paraguay but hasn’t lasted longer than 45 minutes in a match for club or country since December. Alejandro Zendejas is probably the most like-for-like option to replace Pulisic, but he hasn’t played much since the U.S. started its pre-World Cup training camp. Tim Weah and Brenden Aaronson are options as well.
In some respects, the challenges facing the U.S. against the Socceroos are similar to those posed by Paraguay: a tough, physically imposing outfit that is stingy in defense and adept at striking on the counterattack. The effectiveness of the aforementioned Irankunda in that regard is a threat that the U.S. will be well aware of.
The U.S. line up in a hybrid system, defending with four in a low block, but then pushing outside back Antonee Robinson forward into the attack. Wing play is an area in which the U.S. excels, and even with the giants occupying the Australia back line, expect the U.S. to probe those spaces to create chances.
What will be fascinating about this encounter is how effective the U.S. press will be, and the extent to which the Americans will use it. Against Paraguay, it was devastating, and proved to be the platform for a dominant first half. But the U.S. at times, has looked shaky in defending transition opportunities.
Does Pochettino dare expose his backline to the forays of Irankunda and forward Touré, or does he show confidence that his side can benefit from the aggressiveness shown against Paraguay? Getting that risk/reward calculus correct will be crucial in determining the result. — Carlisle
