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After trouncing Paraguay in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the United States now welcomes Australia to Seattle as both sides target a knockout stage place in the second round of Group D matches.
Mauricio Pochettino's side romped to a 4-1 victory in a match they fully dominated from start to finish, from Folarin Balogun's brace to Gio Reyna's late cherry on top.
They will do their best to follow up that performance with another strong showing against the Socceroos, who won their opener as well in an upset of Turkey.
The Sporting News brings you a full list of player ratings for the match, analyzing the USMNT's individual performances from the opening kickoff to the final whistle.
MORE: How three 1994 USMNT legends hope the USMNT gets its grit back
USA vs. Australia score
Location: Lumen Field (Seattle, WA)
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
USMNT starting lineup:
USA (4-4-2, right to left): 24. Freese (GK) — 16. Freeman, 3. Richards, 13. Ream, 5. A. Robinson — 2. Dest, 8. McKennie, 4. Adams, 7. Tillman — 9. Pepi, 20. Balogun.
USA substitutes: Turner (GK), Brady (GK), Arfsten, McKenzie, M. Robinson, Scally, Roldan, Berhalter, Reyna, Aaronson, Zendejas, Weah, Wright.
MORE: Player ratings from the USMNT victory over Paraguay
USMNT player ratings vs. Australia
This starting lineup for the UMSNT against Australia was almost identical to the XI deployed against Paraguay in the opening game. The only difference was that Chris Richards, now recovered from his ankle injury, slotted in for Miles Robinson along the back.
All ratings are on a 10-point scale
MORE: Why the best advice Clint Dempsey can give the USMNT World Cup team is no advice at all
Starters
GK — Matt Freese: 6
Safe hands in the very first minute of the game, making a stop at his near post on a shot from a tight angle. That was all the work Freese had to do through the opening 45 minutes, as he only touched the ball 10 times in the first half.
This section will be updated with analysis and commentary as the game progresses.
RB — Alex Freeman: 8
After some loose possessional work in the opening five minutes, Alex Freeman locked down defensively and got forward in the attack as well. It was a sensational first half from the U.S. defender, who logged a whopping five defensive contributions, including two tackles, and completed 36 of his 39 first-half passes as well.
Freeman got the second goal for the U.S. as he reacted quickest to the deflection of Sergino Dest's shot, heading the ball in before VAR showed he was onside. An excellent first half from Freeman, who has grown leaps and bounds under Mauricio Pochettino over the last 18 months.
This section will be updated with analysis and commentary as the game progresses.
Alex Freeman with some great defense for the @USMNT 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/dZZc0C3QlS
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 19, 2026RCB — Chris Richards: 7
A little loose with possession under pressure early on, but managed to prove a safe presence after. The few times he lost the ball, he worked exceptionally hard to win it back, and was often successful. Completed 53 of 54 passes in the first half, which was impressive considering he was occasionally under pressure, at least more than he was against Paraguay.
Good tackling and challenging in the air as well.
This section will be updated with analysis and commentary as the game progresses.
LCB — Tim Ream: 5
A bit shaky whenever he was pressured on the ball, but as Australia sagged back throughout the first half, he was able to breathe a little more. After a strong passing performance against Paraguay, he struggled here, completing less than 90% of his passes in the first half, including just one of six long balls.
This section will be updated with analysis and commentary as the game progresses.
MORE: What does success look like for the USMNT at the 2026 World Cup?
LB — Antonee Robinson: 6
Safe passing and defensive contributions from Jedi Robinson through the first half, as he was very solid preventing Australia from getting out on the counter. Not good crossing the ball, however, a strategy that was always going to be unsuccessful against the exceptionally tall Australia defensive line.
This section will be updated with analysis and commentary as the game progresses.
LM — Malik Tillman: 7
Was a spark plug in the middle throughout the first half against Australia. He made the most of his 34 touches, creating two chances and winning three of his five ground duels, combining often with Folarin Balogun in the moments he got forward. A great first half performance, showing great physicality holding off multiple defenders to win the set piece that resulted in Freeman's late first-half goal.
This section will be updated with analysis and commentary as the game progresses.
CM — Tyler Adams: 7
Not only did Tyler Adams repeatedly blow up Australia's possession through the middle of the field, but he also did an exceptional job relieving pressure on the ball once he won it back, winning two hard fouls in the opening 45 minutes while recovering a loose ball four times and intercepting possession twice.
This section will be updated with analysis and commentary as the game progresses.
CM — Weston McKennie: 8
The best player for the U.S. in the first half against Australia, Weston McKennie was absolutely cooking in midfield, getting forward often, usually down the right half of the field where he combined effectively with Sergino Dest over and over again.
McKennie was a chaos merchant over and over, creating three first-half chances and getting two shots off of his own. He was good facing goal, facing the touchline, and facing his own net, causing all kinds of problems in various different situations. Also logged four defensive contributions in the opening 45 minutes, including one tackle and three interceptions and his marauding had Australia losing sight of him constantly.
This section will be updated with analysis and commentary as the game progresses.
MORE: A thin midfield leaves USMNT dangerously exposed in 2026 World Cup journey
RM — Sergino Dest: 8
Absolutely smoked defenders down the right side, able to combine with Weston McKennie or make things happen on his own. Nutmegged a defender in the penalty area in a delicious play with Malik Tillman that nearly resulted in a goal and ended up in the set-piece that led to Freeman's header.
This section will be updated with analysis and commentary as the game progresses.
"Dest has just been electric all tournament long." - @stuholden ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/u6Q6GaVdmJ
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 19, 2026FWD — Ricardo Pepi: 6
Didn't have a huge impact on the match through the opening 45 minutes, but played his role as a foil to Folarin Balogun effectively.
This section will be updated with analysis and commentary as the game progresses.
FWD — Folarin Balogun: 7
Should have had more in front of goal through the opening 45 minutes, as a few promising moves forward failed to result in a shot, but overall caused good chaos up front as he tried to link up with Malik Tillman and Weston McKennie through the middle.
While not traditionally known as a strong player out wide, it was his run forward on the ball down the left that resulted in the early own-goal by Australia's Cameron Burgess.
This section will be updated with analysis and commentary as the game progresses.
FOLARIN BALOGUN MAKING THINGS HAPPEN ONCE AGAIN! 🦅pic.twitter.com/Xgvu7OW1QZ
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 19, 2026USMNT substitutes vs. Paraguay
This section will be updated with analysis and commentary once substitutes enter the match for the United States and begin to influence the game.
USMNT coach vs. Paraguay
Mauricio Pochettino: Grade pending
This section will be updated with analysis and commentary on the performance of the USMNT head coach following the conclusion of the match.
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