A brace from Haji Wright ended the international break the right way for the United States men's national team with a 2-1 victory over Australia on Tuesday in Colorado. It's a victory that now sees the USMNT unbeaten in their last three matches as the team is beginning to round into form under Mauricio Pochettino. Even Christian Pulisic leaving the match with an injury in the 31st minute wouldn't slow the team down, with Wright translating his strong form from Coventry City and experienced players like Cristian Roldan getting in on the party.
"I think it was he [felt] something in his hamstring but tomorrow he will fly to Italy," Pochettino said after the match about Pulisic's condition. "Tonight we will assess, and we think we cannot say nothing at the moment."
Wright was the last player to score at a World Cup for the USMNT, scoring against the Netherlands as they lost in the round of 16 in Qatar in 2022, but things have changed now. Roldan was also on that roster, and he knew where Wright wanted the ball, assisting both goals. That kind of familiarity will go a long way when Pochettino needs to determine his final squad for 2026, but it's good to see that the team was able to come back and win after going behind due to a defensive error in the 19th minute of play.
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They won't want to work from behind more often than they have to, but resilience is something that this team will need to survive the grind of a 48-team World Cup. It's still early days for the USMNT, but they're showing positive strides under Pochettino.
It's another strong performance for the USMNT, ending Australia's unbeaten run of matches while beginning a small one of their own. With a brace from Haji Wright, the USMNT are now unbeaten in their last three matches as they are showing growth as the World Cup draws closer. Cristian Roldan also netted a brace of assists as Pochettino is getting contributions from up and down the roster.
Australia were almost in on goal, but the danger was cleared as time winds down in the match. There will be four additional minutes of added time.
It was a slick interchange from Aaronson to Luna but he wasn't able to beat Ryan in net. The USMNT still have time to net a third goal before it's all said and done.
Haji Wright, James Sands, and Tim Weah have exited the game, with Brenden Aaronson, Tanner Tessmann, and Folarin Balogun have entered. Balogun coming on, facing a tired defense, can cause some problems for Australia, as fresh legs will help close the game out.
Wright was the last player to score at the World Cup for the USMNT, and he could be on his way to another one with a brace in less than 60 minutes of playing time so far. His runs off the back shoulder of the defense have been devastating, and it's a dimension that the USMNT could use to stretch teams out.
The USMNT closed out the half on a strong note, creating chances, and they'll want to carry that into the second half. This is a winnable game, so it's important to go out and get the job done.
That was a reckless challenge on James Sands, and if this were a competitive match, it may have been looked at by VAR, but instead, there will be no cards. Which of course led to another poor challenge on Sands, and Chris Richards is getting in a lot of work as captain, trying to ask the referee where the cards are.
After already starting the Ecuador match on the bench due to swelling in his ankle, Christian Pulisic will leave this match in the 30th minute in favor of Diego Luna. After picking up a knock, there's no reason to take risks with the USMNT star, and he'll have an early night while his teammates look to show that they can perform without him.
Another moment of defensive lapses and another goal conceded by the USMNT. They've done well responding to going behind by creating attacking chances, but after dominating possession early, this isn't what Pochettino will want to see. At this level, mistakes will be punish,ed and they can't hope that they'll get away with them.
The USMNT had a promising attack, but Haji Wright was just knocked off the ball. These are moments where you begin to appreciate Balogun's presence in the bo,x but let's hope there aren't too many more of those tonight.
Even without Balogun in the XI, the USMNT know where they want to move the ball when things break into the attacking end. It's the little things like this which show their growth under Pochettino as they become more familiar with the system.
We have five minutes to go until the USMNT are back in action to close out the break.
While the members of the USMNT may come from more prestigious clubs, that shouldn't lead you to think that this Australia game will be an easy one. This is a team that is quite experienced on the international stage and will be looking to show what they can do tonight. It may be another one where Pochettino's men end up grabbing a late goal, but instead of an equalizer, this will be a game winner.
Australia XI: Mat Ryan, Cameron Burgess, Alessandro Circati, Jason Geria, Maximilien Balard, Aiden O'Neill, Jacob Italiano, Jordan Bos, Martin Boyle, Nicolas D'Agostino, Connor Metcalfe
His performances lately are a step in the right direction, but hopefully, the best is yet to come.
For the third consecutive match, the USMNT will begin in a back three. While Pochettino has been consistent with formations in the past, this is a signal to how strong the team has been since making the shift to that formation. Christian Pulisic returns to the starting XI after coming off the bench in the first match, while the defense will be up for a test without Tim Ream.
USMNT starting XI: Matt Freese, Tim Weah, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson, Mark McKenzie, Alex Freeman, James Sands, Cristian Roldan, Weston McKennie, Haji Wright, Christian Pulisic
We've got rotation in Colorado as the USMNT prepares to face Australia. Haji Wright gets the start as the point striker, but there has been rotation all around. Facing a tough squad, Mauricio Pochettino will get to see what another group of players can do, and it's a chance for James Sands to show that his strong form at St. Pauli can translate to the USMNT. It's becoming quite crowded in central midfield, but a strong performance tonight could go a long way.
