USA Reach Knockouts Without Pulisic — And Thrive

There is no bigger test for a team at a World Cup than losing the player everyone came to watch. Christian Pulisic — the face of American soccer, their most dangerous attacker — pulled up at half-time against Paraguay with a calf injury and sat out the Australia fixture entirely. The crowd in Seattle might have expected a dimmed performance. Instead, the United States were sharp and purposeful, scoring twice before the break to earn a comfortable 2-0 win that confirmed their place in the knockout rounds. This squad has more than one engine.

The breakthrough was fortuitous but decisive. An 11th-minute cross found an Australian defender in the worst possible position — Cameron Burgess turned the ball past his own goalkeeper. Sergiño Dest drove forward in the 43rd minute and his shot cannoned off a body; Alex Freeman was sharp enough to react and finish clinically for 2-0. From there, Mauricio Pochettino’s side managed the match with composure. Without their leader, an unlikely cast of characters stepped into the spotlight and delivered.

The injury news grew steadily more encouraging after Seattle. What initially looked like it might rob America of their best attacker for the rest of the group stage turned out to be a bruised calf — a kick, not a structural problem. Coach Pochettino confirmed Pulisic had returned to training and that the feelings were “really good.” He is targeting the final group-stage showdown against Türkiye on June 25 in Los Angeles, a match that could decide who tops Group D and earns the more favourable knockout draw.

The USA are already through. But there is a difference between arriving in the round of 32 as a passenger and arriving as a contender. Topping Group D would earn the hosts a cleaner draw — and Pulisic back to full fitness would make them a different proposition entirely. America’s depth carried them past Australia. Their ceiling, with everyone fit and firing on home soil, is higher still.