U.S. clinches spot in World Cup knockout round with dominant win over Australia

In front of a roaring Seattle crowd, the U.S. men’s soccer team on Friday defeated Australia 2-0 in its second World Cup match, clinching a spot in the Round of 32 in the process.

Despite missing star attacking midfielder Christian Pulisic to a calf injury, the U.S. put on a spectacular performance against a gritty Australian team.

The U.S. showed that its 4-1 win over Paraguay in its opener was no fluke. From the first whistle, the U.S. took control of the game, dominating possession and putting the Socceroos on their heels.

The U.S. opened the scoring in the 11th minute with an own goal from Australia’s Cameron Burgess, who mishandled a brilliant run and pass from U.S. forward Folarin Balogun into his own net.

U.S. right back Alex Freeman doubled the score in the 43rd minute when he put in a header that rebounded off Australia’s defensive line.

The win puts the U.S. at the top of Group G with 6 points. It faces Turkey in its final match on June 25 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Australia was never able to recreate the magic of its World Cup opener last week, when it shocked Turkey 2-0. Sitting on 3 points, it will likely need at least a tie in its final group match against Paraguay to ensure it goes through to the next round.

This is a developing story and will be updated.