Haji Wright’s composed finish stood in stark contrast to Mauricio Pochettino’s icy demeanor during a pivotal moment in the US men’s national team’s friendly against Australia last October. The Coventry City striker had just leveled the score in the 35th minute after Jordan Bos had given the Socceroos an early lead. While Wright celebrated with calm, his coach appeared lost in thought on the sidelines.
Pochettino’s focus may have been on Australia’s aggressive tactics, which included a challenge that sidelined Christian Pulisic midway through the first half. Alternatively, his attention could have been on how his team was responding.
Wright recalled, “[Pochettino] wasn’t too happy with letting them punch us in a way, without punching back,” This sentiment was echoed in a fiery halftime speech, a moment captured in a recent docuseries that chronicles the team’s journey to the World Cup. The urgency of his words resonated even with players who weren’t directly present during the talk.
Brenden Aaronson, who was warming up for substitution during the address, noted, “You could tell by the reaction of the guys,” The US matched Australia’s intensity in the second half, marking the beginning of a three-game winning streak that propelled them into the 2026 World Cup with renewed confidence.
“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,” said Sebastian Berhalter. “We’re American, and we don’t take shit.”
Fast forward nearly eight months, and the US will face Australia once more, this time on the grand stage of the World Cup.
Changes in Lineup
As the World Cup unfolds, the stakes are significantly higher than in a friendly match, regardless of the previous intensity. The US starting lineup is expected to differ greatly from the one that faced Australia previously. The only players maintaining their positions from that match to the World Cup opener against Paraguay are Weston McKennie in midfield, Chris Richards in defense, and Matt Freese in goal. Cristian Roldan played a key role, assisting Wright on both goals in the earlier encounter; however, it would be surprising if he starts on Friday, despite the match being in Seattle, where he is a beloved figure among Sounders fans.
On the Australian side, only four players have changed since that friendly, with Leicester City’s Harry Souttar taking the captaincy after missing out previously, and goalkeeper Patrick Beach stepping up impressively after taking over from longtime starter Mathew Ryan. Paul Okon-Engstler joins the midfield, while Mo Touré replaces Nick D’Agostino at the forward position.
Identifying Threats
The remaining players from the friendly highlight the potential threats that the US will face again. Nestory Irankunda, who posed a challenge for the US defense in their last encounter, has made a strong start to his World Cup campaign, scoring a goal and earning a Man of the Match award in Australia’s recent victory over Turkey. His speed during counterattacks has been noted by multiple US players as a significant concern, along with Australia’s effective strategy of playing without the ball. Despite holding just 30% possession against Turkey, the Socceroos consistently created opportunities against the run of play, showcasing a tactical shift from their previous approach.
“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 shared.
Wright remarked, “To me, it seems like they’re more fine tuned,”
Anticipating the Challenge
Midfielder Tyler Adams emphasized the difficulty of the upcoming match, calling it “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.” adding 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,”
The current challenge for the US is to replicate their second-half performance from their last encounter and match Australia’s aggression.
“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 perceived 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.”
