Haji Wright’s composed finish during a friendly match last October showcased the tension between the US men’s national team and Australia. In the 35th minute, after Jordan Bos had put the Socceroos ahead, Wright equalized, walking away in calm celebration, while his coach, Mauricio Pochettino, appeared visibly unimpressed on the sidelines.
Pochettino’s focus seemed divided between Australia’s aggressive tactics, which included a challenge that sidelined Christian Pulisic midway through the first half, and his team’s response to the pressure.
“[Pochettino] wasn’t too happy with letting them punch us in a way, without punching back,” Wright reflected this week. The Argentinian’s passionate halftime address, featured in a recent docuseries documenting the team’s World Cup preparations, resonated strongly even with players who didn’t directly hear it.
“You could tell by the reaction of the guys,” Brenden Aaronson noted, recalling that he was warming up to sub in during the stirring speech. The US matched Australia’s intensity in the second half, which was the first of three consecutive victories that propelled them into the 2026 World Cup with renewed momentum.
“Even though he’s Argentinian, he has that mindset of like, look, this is what we do, you know, and this is who we are, and this is what America’s about,” added Sebastian Berhalter. “We’re American, and we don’t take shit.”
Fast forward nearly eight months, and the US and Australia are set to face each other again, this time on the grand stage of the World Cup.
World Cup Context
The World Cup presents a different challenge compared to a friendly match, regardless of the previous encounter’s fierce nature. The US’s starting lineup is expected to undergo significant changes; only Weston McKennie in midfield, Chris Richards in defense, and goalkeeper Matt Freese remain from that friendly. Cristian Roldan, who assisted Wright on both goals, is unlikely to start, even in Seattle, where he has a strong fanbase with the Sounders.
On the other hand, Australia made just four adjustments from that friendly to their recent win against Turkey. Harry Souttar, who captained the side, returned after missing the previous match, while Patrick Beach shone in goal, taking over from long-time starter Mathew Ryan. Additionally, Paul Okon-Engstler joined the midfield, and Mo Touré took the lead role instead of Nick D’Agostino.
Identifying Threats
The remaining players underscore the potential dangers the US may face once again. Nestory Irankunda, who sliced through the US defense multiple times during their last match, had an impressive World Cup start with a goal and a Man of the Match performance against Turkey. His speed on the counter-attack has been highlighted by several US players as a key concern, particularly given Australia’s ability to remain dangerous despite holding just 30% possession against Turkey.
“Speaking to the boys who played in October, they said the game against Turkey looked completely different than how they played them last camp,” Antonee Robinson said.
Wright echoed this, stating, “To me, it seems like they’re more fine tuned,”
Midfielder Tyler Adams described the upcoming match as “They looked really good defensively. They look really stable. They didn’t look like Turkey were able to really get behind them very much. That’ll be a challenge for us to break them down.” emphasizing that Australia is “one of the most difficult games we’ll play,” “unbelievably tactically sound.” and “You could see that they were up for it, and they were putting in challenges, and I think that’s when Mauricio had the half-time rant,”
Preparing for the Challenge
The US now faces the task of matching Australia’s aggression, a standard they met during the second half of their last encounter.
“You like teams that have that brotherhood, you like teams that, when you go against them, you can see, they’re hungry and that they want to fight. It makes you, you know, raise your level that much more.” Berhalter noted, reflecting on the similarities he observed between the US and the Socceroos. “You like teams that have that brotherhood, you like teams that, when you go against them, you can see, they’re hungry and that they want to fight. It makes you, you know, raise your level that much more.”
