USA to face Australia at FIFA World Cup amid Pulisic injury concerns
Sports analyst Dan Dakich previews the FIFA World Cup match between the United States and Australia and addresses concerns about star Christian Pulisic’s calf injury. Dakich highlights Australia’s strong team and highlights their best performance since the coaching change, making them a dangerous opponent. He highlights the importance of the American team being prepared for this decisive match in the knockout phase and also mentions the US Open golf tournament.
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Happy June 16th to all. I’m sure those words will irritate some readers, but to be honest, I’ll take any federal holiday as it means we have some time to enjoy whatever we want. I know not all companies do this, but who doesn’t want a day off in the middle of June? Today is even a little more special because we also have a USA World Cup game.
My first soccer article was about the United States World Cup team, and not only did the team win, we won. I was wrong about the final result, but I was right that Team USA won. They were able to beat Paraguay. I think what I enjoyed most about the game, apart from the victory, was that the crowd was genuinely interested in the game. I know it’s easy when goals are scored and the team wins, but the United States is not a soccer country. So, it was fun to see the crowd go crazy and give the team more energy.
USA midfielder Christian Pulisic approaches the box during a 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D match against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. (Europa Press Sports/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Now they have a test against the Australian team. This should be a win for Team USA based on a recent match they had in an international friendly competition. They played in October, so the teams are practically the same. However, those games are not always predictive. To maintain momentum, Team USA will need to remain aggressive in their attack. If they can strategically push the ball downfield, they should take a good look at a goalkeeper who can be beaten.
The Australian team also had a good result in their first match, having won the first match against Türkiye. I don’t hate the Turkish team. They also have decent talent. Some World Cup matches may simply be canceled because there is a big mismatch. That’s not the case here. Australia were methodical in their attack and won the match 2-0.
PATRIOTISM IS GREAT, BUT MAKING MONEY IS BETTER: ‘FADE THE PUBLIC’ IN TEAM USA VS AUSTRALIA IN THE 2026 WORLD CUP
Team USA celebrates a goal against Paraguay in a 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D match at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. (Images by Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn)
If you look at the statistics from their first match, there is a strong argument that Australia was lucky to win the match. They had half as many shots on goal as Türkiye and had possession of the ball only 28% of the time. So, they were able to make the most of their opportunity. They committed 12 fouls, compared to only four for Türkiye. I suppose quite a bit of credit should be given to the Australian defense considering they were able to stop all eight shots on goal, and if their opponent had the ball that often it means they had to stop the pressure constantly.
If Australia can slow down the game against the United States, they could have another chance. I don’t think this is the most impressive team in the tournament, but they don’t seem to make many mistakes. Can the kangaroo clan take advantage of America’s mistakes today?
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USMNT fans across the country brought patriotism to the team’s first World Cup game. (Photo by José Hernández/Anadolu via Getty Images)
It is possible. The United States benefited from an own goal to start the scoring, then got two more in the first half. They created some great opportunities, but they missed some of them. Their defense only faced one real attack and their goalkeeper stopped the ball. Australia needs to be more aggressive than in the first match, but I don’t think that is their nature. I hope Team USA wins, but I think this will be a lower scoring game. Give me the minus of 2.5.
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