Players of the United States participate in a training session.
Doha, Qatar: United States and Australia face off in Seattle today in a crucial Group D meeting, with both sides looking to build on winning starts and move closer to the FIFA World Cup knockout stage.
After opening their campaigns with impressive wins, the two teams meet at Seattle Stadium (10pm Qatar time) looking to build momentum and take a major step towards the Round of 32 before the final round of group fixtures.
The United States made an emphatic statement in their tournament opener, brushing aside Paraguay 4-1 in front of a raucous crowd in Los Angeles.
Folarin Balogun struck twice, Gio Reyna added a late stunner and the co-hosts underlined their attacking quality with an energetic display.
Yet coach Mauricio Pochettino preferred to focus on the collective rather than individual performances.
“It’s not only to talk about some names, it’s about the collective,” the Argentine said after the victory.
“It’s not only Balo or different players that performed. I think the team was amazing. Not only the starting 11 but all the players around and on the bench.”
“We are so happy, but this is only the start. It’s still two games to play. We need to enjoy this start to the tournament, but know that we need to keep going.”
Australia, meanwhile, arrive full of confidence after a composed 2-0 win over Turkiye in Vancouver. Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe found the net, while Tony Popovic’s well-drilled side impressed with their organisation, discipline and ability to strike quickly in transition.
Compact without the ball and difficult to break down, the Socceroos will back themselves to exploit any spaces left by an American side expected to attack in front of their home fans.
Popovic believes his youthful squad have much more to offer.
“Their ceiling, they’re nowhere near it because they’re a young group with no experience at a World Cup,” he said.
“Maybe the perception changes slightly because we’ve beaten Turkiye, a big nation, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do and we’ve got to move on to the US game.”
History offers only limited clues. The United States have won two of the teams’ four previous meetings, including a 2-1 friendly victory last October. Australia claimed their only success on American soil in 1992, while the sides played out a goalless draw in 1998.
