The U.S. Men’s National Team secured its place in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Australia at Lumen Field in Seattle.

An own goal in the 11th minute and a header from Alex Freeman in the 44th minute gave the U.S. a two-goal lead at halftime, a margin they held through a physical second half. The result gives the U.S. six points and a +5 goal difference through two games in Group D, enough to advance regardless of the outcome between Türkiye and Paraguay later this week.

Own goal opens the scoring

Australia had an early chance in the first minute when a loose pass from Freeman allowed forward Mohamed Touré to pounce, but the play fizzled out. The U.S. soon settled into the match, and the breakthrough came from a sequence down the left wing.

Defender Tim Ream found Antonee Robinson with space on the left, according to match reports. Robinson played the ball to Folarin Balogun, whose pass from inside the box was intended for Ricardo Pepi but was deflected into the net by Australian centerback Cameron Burgess for an own goal.

The Socceroos responded quickly. In the 13th minute, Matthew Leckie nearly equalized with a trivela shot that sailed wide of the far post. Ten minutes later, Leckie sent a cross for Nishan Velupillay that was cleared for a corner.

Freeman scores before halftime

Play settled into a lull until a 39th-minute collision between Freeman and Australian midfielder Paul Okon-Engstler briefly stopped the match as both players were checked for concussions. Five minutes later, Freeman nodded in a deflected ball from a free kick to make it 2-0.

The goal was initially ruled offside, but video review confirmed the play was legal, according to match officials. The U.S. carried the two-goal lead into halftime.

Balogun had a chance to extend the lead in the 52nd minute when he broke free on a long ball over the top, but he took too long to shoot and a defender blocked his attempt. The second half produced little in the way of clear chances for either side, though Australia created some danger from a corner in the 85th minute.

One notable absence: midfielder Cristian Roldan, who grew up in the Seattle area, did not enter the match despite the U.S. making five substitutions. Manager Mauricio Pochettino left Roldan on the bench in front of his home crowd, according to match reports.

Freeman, McKennie lead strong performances

Freeman was named a key performer for his role at right centerback. He won 6 of 8 ground duels and 4 of 6 aerial duels, recorded 4 tackles and 5 clearances, completed 91% of his 65 passes, and created one chance in addition to his goal, according to match statistics.

Weston McKennie was also singled out for his midfield work, providing stability and creating three chances. With Christian Pulisic unavailable due to injury, McKennie stepped up as one of the team's best players on the night, match reports noted.

Goalkeeper Matt Freese saved both shots Australia put on target. His distribution was poor — he completed only 48% of his 25 passes — but he kept a clean sheet and handled defensive duties cleanly, solidifying his hold on the starting role.

The U.S. now travels to Los Angeles to face Türkiye on Thursday, June 25 in its final group stage match.