Australia & Türkiye

AUSTRALIA

I got to downtown Seattle at 6:50 for a 7 AM pregame with other soccer dorks.  Let me tell you, the city was already buzzing at this crazy hour for a noon kickoff.  When I headed in around 10:30 it was absolute madness outside Lumen Field. Every single bar/restaurant had a watch party and was packed to the gills. 

Once inside the atmosphere was absolutely electric again, especially in the first half.  I feel like the noise kind of faded in the second half due to a few factors.  Without a cloud in the sky the sun was just beating down on everyone and the Socceroos decided to make things ugly.  I think LA was louder overall but air conditioning, being inside and total domination will do that.

Aussie coach Tony Popovic made the curious decision not to start both goal scorers from their previous match; Nestory Irankunda and Connor Meltcalfe.  I don’t know what his plan was, but thanks!  For us Christian Pulisic didn’t dress (left calf) and Ricardo Pepi started in his place.  USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino (Poch) was given lots of credit for changing his formation to include two strikers up top in a 4-4-2.  I think that had some effect, but really it looked like the players knew where the spaces were and how to exploit them again.

Folarin Balogun created the early own goal by leaving his man in the dust.  Then just before halftime Alex Freeman headed in a loose ball after a corner kick for the second.  Popovic brought on Irankunda and Metcalfe to start the second half and Australia began fouling us more.  These two factors made the second half a little tough to watch, but the Socceroos did threaten us a few times. 

It’s hard to say the result was ever in doubt though.  In the end we secured the three points and won the group thanks to Türkiye not being able to score against a low block.  This is also the first time the USMNT has won two World Cup matches in the same tournament since 1930.

PLAYERS

Matt Freese – Made his first two World Cup saves but was shaky with his decision making and distribution.

Tim Ream – Was beaten for speed a few times.

Chris Richards – Put out several fires for the backline but picked up a yellow card in the 90+3.

Freeman – Beyond the goal he put in a good shift on defense too.  His combination of recovery speed and strength is something special.  Man of the Match performance.

Antonee Robinson – Kind of an off day for him and picked up a yellow in the 56^th minute.

Tyler Adams – Another solid defensive match for him and played some nice passes as well.

Malik Tillman – Maybe our best player through two matches.  Was visibly exhausted late.

Sergiño Dest – Quiet day for him but had some nice shots from distance.

Weston McKennie – Was involved in most of our good offensive movements.

Pepi – Pressed hard on defense but wasn’t much of a factor on offense.

Balogun – Causing the own goal aside, was very wasteful with his touch and let several good scoring opportunities go wanting.  Also picked up a yellow in the 89^th.

Sebastian Berhalter – Looked off the pace for the second match in a row.  Gave the ball away in a dangerous area with his first touch on the pitch.

Auston Trusty – Had a very nervy moment in first World Cup action.

Joe Scally – Also looked anxious on the biggest stage for the first time.

Gio Reyna – Didn’t do much in a 3-minute cameo.

Haji Wright – Had maybe a quarter-chance in his three minutes.

TÜRKIYE

We played The Crescent-Stars in East Hartford, CT on 6/7/25 and lost 1-2. I watched this match and it was all one-way traffic in the first half. Türkiye took their foot off the gas in the second half seemingly to not embarrass us.  Granted, only five current World Cup starters saw the pitch that day; Freese (his debut) Tillman, Freeman, Richards (all went 90) and Adams (45).  Still though, the Turks worked us over pretty well.

Right now, the USMNT is 22^nd in ELO and The Crescent-Stars 25^th. Türkiye has some very talented players in Arda Güler (Real Madrid), Kenan Yildiz (Juventus) and Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Inter Milan).  Most of their regulars play in the Turkish Super Lig though, which is maybe even or a level below MLS.  We still probably have more talent “on paper,” but the discrepancy isn’t as big as the last two matches for us.

This is a very difficult match to predict because the Turks are already eliminated and we have advanced in first place.  I was originally excited for the matchup because I figured it would be our first real test of actual soccer.  Now it’s a “dead rubber” and I don’t know what to think?  The referee for this match is Mustapha Ghorbal from Algeria.  He’s got plenty of FIFA experience, but I don’t have a feel for how African refs call things.  The VAR is from Germany, which I like.

This is a national embarrassment for the people of Türkiye.  This was their first World Cup in 24 years, and they finished in third place last time in 2002.  Expectations were huge, but they fell flat on their faces.  Will their coach Vincenzo Montella play all his best players, or will he rotate younger guys in to get them experience?  Will the players be getting after it or going through the motions?  I have no idea, but I think if they get down a few goals early, they will fold like a house of cards.

For Poch the calculus is much more difficult.  Does he rest some players or fully rotate the entire squad and punt on the match entirely?  This might sound crazy in a World Cup, but the Pochettino era has basically been defined by trying out different players and tactics that didn’t work at all.  If he does do that and we get embarrassed, he risks losing some of the crazy momentum that has been building for both the team and fans alike. In the end I think he tries to strike some kind of balance.

You can’t risk the four players with yellow cards getting suspended for the Round of 32.  This means no Balogun, Adams, Robinson or Richards.  Then it would make sense to give the guys who have played heavy minutes some rest.  With so much time between matches in this World Cup they still need to work their legs out a little though.  Whether it’s at halftime or the 60-minute mark, all of McKennie, Tillman, Dest, Freeman and Ream need to come out.  Pulisic has been back training with the team this week.  If he won’t risk reinjury, it would be wise to give him 30 to shake any rust off.  Freese needs more confidence in front of goal, so he stays as the starter there. 

I really don’t know how Poch will manage who is in the starting XI, who comes in as a sub and how many minutes each player gets.  It seems like Cristian Roldan won’t be able to play due to a muscle strain.  That leaves 18 field players available for selection, and he can only play 15.  I hope he at least sticks with the 3-4-2-1 formation, but if I’ve learned anything over the past 21 months, it’s that Poch is unpredictable.  Whatever he decides, given what he’s accomplished thus far in the World Cup, he’s earned my trust.

Paraguay & Australia

PARAGUAY

The first thing I must mention about this match is the atmosphere inside SoFi Stadium was absolutely electric.  From the national anthem until the final goal in the 90+8 it literally never let up.  I was in the American Outlaws supporter section and was on my feet the entire time.  Such an amazing time for my first cap, I could not have asked for anything better.

Along those lines, many are saying this was best performance the USMNT has ever put on in the World Cup.  The top before last Friday was a 3-2 victory over Portugal’s golden generation in 2002. That was a little different though, since the USMNT raced out to a 3-0 lead after 36 minutes only to hold on for dear life and prevail 3-2.

This was an utter domination from start to finish.  The first time the USMNT ever scored four goals in a World Cup match.  Major kudos are due to coach Mauricio Pochettino (Poch) for getting his tactical plan exactly right. Our boys knew where the spaces would be on offense and exploited them repeatedly.  On the other side of the ball, La Albirroja could not break our pressing defense.  Any time we lost the ball, but especially in the first half, our counter-press was absolutely all over them, causing several quick turnovers. 

Believe it or not, this was the first time this starting XI had played together under Poch.  When we trot out a starting attack or Folarin Balogun, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman and Sergiño Dest that is a very dangerous five.  Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro called this the “pentagon.”  I like it!  Then we can sub in Ricardo Pepi, Tim Weah and Gio Reyna off the bench. That’s eight quality players from four of Europe’s top six leagues. 

The goal we gave up was a comedy of errors rather than one individual mistake.  After a hydration break the Paraguayan keeper took a free kick deep in his own end. Tyler Adams wins the initial duel for the header, but the ball goes backwards.  Then Chris Richards misplays the ensuing bounce.  The ball falls to Tim Ream who takes an awful touch and basically passes it right to Julio Enciso.  Enciso plays the ball to Mauricio in space and neither Alex Freeman nor Weah could get there in time.

PLAYERS

Matt Freese – Didn’t have much to do.  His distribution with his feet was shaky at times and there wasn’t much he could do on the goal.

Ream – Culpability in the goal aside, he played a decent match and was not beaten for speed.

Richards – Aside from his part in the goal, he was 83 for 83 on passes.  This was the highest number of passes with 100% accuracy in the World Cup since 1966.  Definitely good to have him back.

Freeman – Had a few poor moments in possession, including a bad giveaway that could have led to a goal.  Did get the assist on the fourth goal though.  As our youngest player making his World Cup debut at 21, he should get better as the tournament progresses.

Antonee Robinson – A typically solid performance from Jedi.

Adams – Played well outside of a ridiculously unnecessary yellow card.  For some reason he decided to step on the heel of a guy playing a backwards pass deep in his own half.  There was absolutely no danger present at all.  He will be suspended for one match if he picks up another yellow in the group stage.  If that happens, we will all be wishing that Poch named Tanner Tessmann to the roster.

Tillman – An unbelievable performance that included the assist on the third goal.  He squandered a few great chances to score though.

Dest – Dangerous and crafty as always.  Was a heavy touch away from scoring a goal.

Pulisic – Looked very lively throughout.  Created the own goal by bursting through a double team like it wasn’t there.  Had the assist on the second goal too.  Was taken off at halftime after a knock he sustained to his left calf in training was reaggravated.  Hopefully he will be good to go on Friday.

McKennie – Made several marauding runs from deep in the midfield that opened up the offense.  Might have flown under radar a little, but he was immense.

Balogun – Two goals and a Man of the Match performance.  His second goal was a thing of beauty using his left foot to finish in the top corner.  First USMNT player since 1930 to score two or more goals in a World Cup match.

Sebastian Berhalter – Came on for CP at halftime and put in a workmanlike performance on defense.  He’s just not the same level as our other players in terms of quickness of thought and technical ability in tight spaces.  Unlike…say…Tessmann.

Pepi – Had a good chance to score that was deflected out, but a decent shift overall.

Weah – Had a nice shot from distance that was going in saved.  Maybe should have been tighter to Mauricio on the conceded goal.

Reyna – Was kind of just floating around out there until his amazing “trivela” goal at the death.

AUSTRALIA

I watched their match against Türkiye and surprisingly the Socceroos didn’t take a bunch of aggressive fouls like I assumed they would.  The reason I mention this is because when we beat them 2-1 in Commerce City, CO on 10/14/25 they made a point of hunting Pulisic and kicking him hard whenever they could.  So much so that CP had to be subbed off in the 30^th minute…of a friendly.  I watched that match as well, and it was decidedly unfriendly.

What the Aussies did do to Türkiye is sit in a 5-4-1 low block and look to hit them on the counterattack quickly with Nestory Irankunda and Mohamed Touré (Jordan Bos and Connor Metcalfe also looked dangerous).  The Turks had 72% of the possession but were never able to figure how to break through the compact defense.

Scoring first is going to be critical for us. Because once the Socceroos score they really and truly “park the bus.”  Just like last match, the more wide-open play becomes the more it benefits us.  I’m hopeful that Poch and his staff have the answers to unlock Australia in their tactical plan just like they did against Paraguay.

I’m expecting the Aussies to kick Pulisic and Balogun every chance they get.  The referees for this match are a German crew headed by Felix Zwayer.  In theory, they should be able to keep things under control.  I didn’t even think was allowed under FIFA rules, but somehow the fourth official is from Mexico. The VAR is from Morocco, so hopefully there is no bias there. 

Australia is ranked 23^rd in ELO compared to 27^th for us.  Despite this, we clearly have the most talent “on paper” once again.  Barring an injury, Poch will likely keep the same starting XI.  I wouldn’t be sad if he benched Ream for Auston Trusty though.  More speed on our backline could be crucial in this match.

We currently sit in first place of Group D with three points and a +3 goal differential.  There is a scenario where we could clinch first place after just two matches.  Beat the Socceroos and Türkiye loses or draws with Paraguay.  Best not get ahead of ourselves though since this match has major shit the bed potential.  Conceding an early goal, then struggling to break them down is certainly within the realm of possibilities.

I’m choosing to remain positive though.  I’ll be there in person again and am expecting the crowd to be even louder in Seattle.  I’ll predict another early goal for us, and we eventually hang on to get the three points.  A result like this will be fantastic for everything except my wallet.  Round of 32 tickets in Santa Clara are already insane!

USMNT World Cup Preview

HISTORY

Any talk of this 4-year cycle must begin with how badly US Soccer botched the build up to this World Cup.  Coach Gregg Berhalter’s contract wasn’t renewed over a sordid back-and-forth with the family of Gio Reyna directly after Qatar 2022.  First, we had Anthony Hudson as interim coach for five matches.  Then it was BJ Callaghan for seven.  After an “exhaustive” search by an “outside firm” the Federation landed right back where they started with Berhalter.

This inevitably didn’t end well with a flameout in the group stage of the Copa América, which I chronicled here.  After Berhalter was fired Mikey Varas got the call for two matches before Mauricio Pochettino (Poch) was hired on 9/10/24.  So that makes a total of five coaches in a 4-year span, which obviously is not ideal.  Especially when you are hosting the World Cup with the most talented generation of American players ever.

Poch’s hire was hailed as a major coup at the time, but his tenure has been a mixed bag.  His overall record is 14-10-2, which is clearly nothing special.  A lot of the poor results have been self-inflicted wounds based on his own decisions.  After not winning the CONCACAF Nations League in March 2025 for the first time (we finished fourth) Poch burned the roster to the ground.

He claimed the team needed a culture reset, and he was probably right about that to a degree.  How he went about it can be questioned though.  He stopped calling in a bunch of European regulars and leaned heavily into MLS guys.  This group made a run to the Gold Cup Final where they lost to Mexico.  They were largely uninspiring though and Poch’s lineup and formation choices were all over the place.  It truly felt like he didn’t know who his best players were or how to deploy them.

Then at halftime of a friendly we were losing to South Korea 0-2 he made a formation switch to a 3-4-2-1 and suddenly things started to click.  As a longtime fan of the USMNT we have basically never played with three center backs (CB).  It seemed to fit our talent well and we ran off a string five matches unbeaten after that.  Then, with momentum finally building, he inexplicably changed tactics back to two CBs.  We proceeded to get waxed by a total of 7-2 in the two March friendlies. 

He came to his senses in the recent send-off matches.  Back in the 3-4-2-1 we beat a quality Senegal side 3-2 and played Germany very tough in a 1-2 loss. The players are showing that they believe in this formation by their consistent effort.  If Poch goes away from these tactics in the World Cup for any reason he’s loco.

ROSTER

Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)

Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)

Midfielders: Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)

Forwards: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Marseille), Haji Wright (Coventry City), Alejandro Zendejas (Club América)

Injuries ruled out midfielder Johnny Cardoso (Atlético Madrid, ankle) and forward Patrick Agyemang (Derby County, Achillies), but other than that all players were available for selection.  I keep a running depth chart that I update every few months and I feel like Poch got his roster mostly right.  He called in my top 2 keepers, top 3 CBs, top 5 fullbacks, top 2 attacking midfielders (a #10 in fútbol parlance), top 4 wingers and top 3 strikers.  That’s 19 of 26 players, so not bad at all.

This wouldn’t be a true USMNT World Cup roster without one glaring mistake that will surely come back to bite us.  In 2014 Jürgen Klinsmann took Brad Davis over Landon Donovan.  This was inexplicable at the time, and shambolic 12 years later. 

In 2022 Berhalter took Jesús Ferreria over Ricardo Pepi.  When starting striker Josh Sargent got injured in the final group stage match, Ferreria was forced into action for the knockout round.  Jesús started and lasted 45 minutes while Pepi was sitting at home fuming at Berhalter.

For Poch his decision to take a fifth CB in Miles Robinson over midfielder Tanner Tessmann (Lyon) has the potential to be disastrous.  For some reason Poch only took one true defensive midfielder (a #6) in Tyler Adams.  So if Adams gets hurt or suspended, we are cooked.  Considering that Miles was at fault for 3 of the 4 goals in the send-off matches, he absolutely can’t play in the World Cup.  To remove a player that has no business being on the roster (per sources, Miles hasn’t even been good in MLS this season) for the second best #6 on my depth chart should be a no-brainer.  Lyon finished fourth in Ligue 1 and Tessmann started 28 matches and played 2,546 minutes as their #6.  I really hope Adams can play every minute for us, but something tells me he won’t.

We have one other guy that definitely can’t see the pitch, Cristian Roldan.  He’s a decent MLS player, but he’s 31 and has always been more of a box-to-box midfielder (a #8).  He can maybe “do a job” as a #6 in MLS, but at this level, no freaking way.  Since Johnny is injured, I’d prefer to have the next #6 on my depth chart in Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough) over Roldan.  Morris started 41 matches and played 3,622 minutes for the team that just missed out on promotion to the Premier League.  I always complain about the end of the roster, but these two changes would balance our midfield depth and put my mind at ease.

Some people were shocked by the omission of Poch favorite Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), but I think Alejandro Zendejas is more deserving at the same position.  The only other snub worth mentioning is Yunus Musah (Atalanta).  He was part of the vaunted MMA midfield in Qatar, but Poch banished him after he skipped the Gold Cup to rest.  Yunus is still only 23 and will be back in the mix for 2030, but I’d probably rather have him over Sebastian Berhalter.

In 2022 Gregg Berhalter called in 9 MLS players (1 keeper).  Poch called in 8, but 3 are keepers.  It’s worth noting that this is the first time since 1990 that a USMNT World Cup team does not have a keeper playing in Europe.  Poch seems to be leaning toward Matt Freese over Matt Turner.  On Monday Freese said he hasn’t been told he’ll be the starter.  Then on Tuesday Turner said the same thing.  Not having your starting keeper locked in the week of the World Cup…is…um…not great.

PARAGUAY

We played La Albirroja on 11/15/25 in Chester, PA.  The match ended in a fracas (one of their players got a red) as we clearly frustrated them winning 2-1.  This was during our run of good form, but it was just a friendly after all.  The match does give us some clues though.

Paraguay is known for playing tough, physical defense and being extremely hard to score on.  They also are expert practitioners of the “dark arts,” trying to get under the opposition’s skin by taking hard fouls and wasting time.  That’s why I’m happy we got a Dutch crew of referees headed by Danny Makkelie. He’s overseen several high profile matches in Europe and should be able to control things if they start to get out of hand.  I don’t love that the VAR is from Spain, but you can’t have everything.

On Saturday Paraguay’s best attacker Julio Enciso was stretchered off the pitch crying.  Word is the injury won’t end his World Cup, but he has already been ruled out of the match Friday.  The USMNT also has an injury concern as our best CB Chris Richards hurt his ankle on 5/17 and hasn’t played since.  He said on Wednesday "I'm ready.  I mean, it's the World Cup, so I'm going to make myself ready regardless.  I'm feeling good.  Maybe a little swollen, but nothing tape can't help."  He hasn’t played in a month though so I’d be surprised if he can go a full 90.

Even though La Albirroja are ranked 22^nd in ELO compared to us at 39, we have more talent “on paper.”  I watched that friendly and we straight up were the better team, beating them at their own game.  They kicked us and we kicked them right back, never backing down.  There is no reason we should expect anything less than a win.

I assume Poch will trot out the same 3-4-2-1, but I honestly don’t know who he should start at keeper.  Neither is good with their feet, but Turner has the experience from 2022 and is probably the better shot-stopper.  Freese is better at saving PKs, but the difference between the two is marginal since both are mid.

The rest of the lineup basically writes itself at this point.

        Balogun

   Pulisic McKennie

Jedi Adams Tillman Dest

Ream Richards Freeman

Up top Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic are locks, although some are saying Pepi could start instead of Balo.  I see Ricardo as our late game sub when we are pushing for a goal.  Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman are playing in opposite positions than they do for their clubs.  Wes is more of a #8 where Malik is a #10.  The freedom Poch has given them to interchange kind of makes this a moot point, but it is something to keep an eye on.  As I already said, Adams is our only true #6.  Which makes him our most important player due to lack of depth there. 

When both Antonee “Jedi” Robinson and especially Sergiño Dest are healthy we just look so much more dangerous.  I’d say Richards and Alex Freeman are locks at their positions as well (with Chris being our second most important player).  Poch named Tim Ream Captain before the tournament, so unfortunately, he’s probably going to play a lot of minutes  I say unfortunately because he is 38 and has no speed left in his legs.  I think every team will try and isolate him against a pacey right winger as part of their tactical plan.  I’d prefer to see Auston Trusty in that spot.  He’s 27, also left-footed and has looked very good for the USMNT in his last four caps.

Depending on the scoreline our subs will be different.  If we are pushing for a goal expect to see Pepi, Reyna, Tim Weah and possibly Zendejas or Haji Wright.  If we have a lead and need to see things out you can expect Brenden Aaronson, Seb Berhalter, Joe Scally and Trusty or Mark McKenzie to get the call.

For as down as I have been on this group of players during this cycle, I think things are finally trending in the right direction.  Our attack has been sneaky dangerous lately and Poch has them always going for it.  The flip side to this is we often leave our defense exposed and give up goals we shouldn’t.  With an unsettled keeper situation, an aging CB and a mistake prone #6 that isn’t a good combo.  What I’m saying is we will score more goals than normal, but don’t expect many clean sheets.

I’ll be at the match in Inglewood on Friday and I think it’s going to be a major home field advantage for us.  I have a feeling our boys will bag an early goal running off the adrenaline of the crowd.  This would be massive for us because it will force Paraguay to have to push for an equalizer.  The match being more wide-open suits us more than them.  I think we’ll get another but concede late.  A 2-1 win and three points will be a great start!