USMNT tops Group D with 2-0 win over Australia, Paraguay downs Turkey

Match recap

An own goal by Cameron Burgess and a header from Alex Freeman handed the United States a 2-0 win over Australia at Seattle's Lumen Field, guaranteeing a spot in the Round of 32. Christian Pulisic missed the match with a calf injury, but the home side still produced a dominant first half. The crowd belted out John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" long after the final whistle.

The fans were amazing, amazing.

Group D decided early

Hours after the U.S. victory, Paraguay beat Turkey 1-0 in Santa Clara, with Miguel Almiron becoming the first player to receive a red card for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent. That result lifted the U.S. to an insurmountable group lead under FIFA's new head-to-head tiebreaker. Turkey became the first team mathematically eliminated from the tournament.

Tactical shift without Pulisic

Coach Mauricio Pochettino switched from a 3-4-3 to a 3-5-2, deploying Ricardo Pepi as a second striker. The U.S. generated 41 percent of its attacking-half touches down the right flank in the first half, with Sergiño Dest and Weston McKennie repeatedly exposing Australia's back five. For the second straight match, an opponent put the ball into its own net, making the USMNT the first team in World Cup history to benefit from own goals in consecutive games.

Today, even if I am not American, after the game I was emotional... the fans were amazing.

Australia's response and next steps

Socceroos substitute Nestory Irankunda, omitted from the starting XI, injected aggression in the second half and expressed disappointment at not beginning the match. He and newcomer Cristian Volpato offer a long-term attacking core for Australia, which now faces Paraguay in San Francisco with its knockout hopes still alive.

I would have preferred to start, of course. For me, it was the biggest game.

Looking toward the knockouts

The U.S. will face Turkey in Inglewood on Thursday with nothing at stake, allowing Pochettino to rest players carrying yellow cards. Opta's supercomputer gives the Americans a 2.84 percent chance to win the tournament, and pundits see a quarterfinal run as a realistic target. Pulisic is expected to return for the knockout stage.

The lineal champion belt

The unofficial world championship title, tracked as a lineal boxing belt since 1872, passed from Turkey to Australia in the group opener and then to the U.S. with Friday's win. It is a quirky footnote to a night that genuinely shifted the mood around the host nation's team.