United States leads Australia 2-0 after early own goal and Freeman header

The United States, still without Christian Pulisic, made a strong start against Australia and led 2-0 by the 75th minute. The match was being played on June 19, 2026, and the Americans were coming off an impressive opening-round win over Paraguay.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side again looked sharp from the outset. Folarin Balogun, who starred in the first game, did not score this time but helped create the opener in the 11th minute by launching a counterattack and sending in a cross that was turned into his own net by Australian defender Cameron Burgess.

Just over half an hour later, the hosts doubled their advantage through Alex Freeman, who headed in after a VAR review confirmed he was not offside. The article said the U.S. continued to dominate in the second half as well, and despite a few spells of pressure from the yellow-clad visitors, they kept threatening on the break and tested Australia goalkeeper Patrick Beach.

The report framed the performance as another sign of Pochettino’s influence on the host team, which was building on its earlier victory over Paraguay.