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The USA sailed through to the knockout stages of the World Cup following a 2-0 win against Australia on Friday.
The cohosts once again looked full of energy as they secured their spot in the last 32 in front of a packed-out crowd in Seattle.
The goals – an own goal from Australia’s Cameron Burgess and a nod in from Alex Freeman following a big deflection – were far from pretty. But let that take nothing away from this US side, who finally look to be showing what they can do on the world stage.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team had opened the tournament in fine form with a 4-1 win over Paraguay, and they will be full of confidence as they prepare for the business end of the tournament. Their remaining group game should also give Pochettino a chance to rotate his side, with Turkey already knocked out and the US guaranteed to finish top of Group D.
One concern for the Argentine moving forward will be the fitness of talisman Christian Pulisic, who was ruled out of the fixture against the Socceroos with a calf injury.
Scotland’s World Cup campaign hit a speed bump after they lost 1-0 to Morocco in Boston on Friday.
A powerful top corner strike from Ismael Saibari in just the second minute of the game was enough to seal the victory for the 2022 World Cup semifinalists.
The Scots managed to dig in after a strong opening half from Morocco, who at one point looked like they were going to run away with the tie, carving out a few decent chances but ultimately coming up empty handed.
The result leaves them third in Group C. As a reminder, the eight best third-placed sides will advance to the knockout round, leaving Scotland with a good chance of going through after they picked up three points in their opening match against Haiti.
Elsewhere, the Brazilian national team got their tournament back on track after winning 3-0 against Haiti in Philadelphia, with two goals for Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha and one for Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior.
Turkey also bowed out of the group stage with a 1-0 defeat to Paraguay. That match saw former Newcastle forward Miguel Almiron become the first player to be sent off for covering his mouth while speaking to an opposing player.
The International Football Association Board decided in April to introduce the rule for the World Cup in an effort to battle discriminatory behaviour.
The rule states: “At the discretion of the competition organiser, any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanctioned with a red card”.