U.S. Men’s National Team Faces Australia After Strong Start

The U.S. men’s national soccer team is set to face Australia this Friday, having secured a solid victory against Paraguay in their opening match.

There’s a buzz around the 2026 World Cup, drawing fans from all over the globe to the U.S. to support their teams. Various companies are diving into promotional efforts, making the atmosphere quite festive across the nation.

American Airlines made a splash by distributing free U.S. jerseys, soccer balls, and World Cup care packages to passengers on a flight to Seattle ahead of the big match at Lumen Field, home of the Seahawks. It’s kind of fun to see this kind of engagement, really.

The United States is making headlines with its strong performance going into the World Cup, but they’ll need to validate that against Australia, currently ranked 23rd.

Interestingly, the U.S. ranks 15th worldwide, slightly behind Mexico and Croatia.

Will Christian Pulisic Play Against Australia?

Ah, that’s quite the question, isn’t it?

Star player Christian Pulisic has been dealing with a calf injury sustained during practice last week, which got aggravated during the game against Paraguay.

Pulisic continued training individually, just up until 24 hours before the match. Coach Mauricio Pochettino plans to discuss with the medical team on Thursday evening and Friday morning about Pulisic’s status.

Pochettino noted that the 27-year-old is committed to returning to the field. If he doesn’t make it for the match against Australia, he should be ready for the upcoming game against Turkiye on June 23rd.

When Does the USA vs. Australia Game Start?

The match kicks off on Friday at 12pm Pacific Time. Given their recent performance, the team is favored to win, especially after such a decisive 4-1 win over Paraguay.

Meanwhile, Australia comes off a strong 2-0 victory against Turkiye. Fans can catch the game on Fox and Telemundo, with streaming options available on YouTube for subscribers.