Of the three group stage matches for the USMNT, this one, Friday night versus Australia, is now “the big one.” Yes, this is the most captivating, compelling and interesting Group D matchday, and it has nothing to do with Christian Pulisic’s calf or Chris Richards’ ankle ligaments. We have a genuine rivalry on our hands, and it just kind of came out of nowhere, overnight.
World Cup Group D Matchday 2 of 3
USMNT vs Australia
Kick off: Juneteenth, Qwes….wait, no excuse me, “Seattle” Stadium, 2pm CST (yes, central, the best time zone of all)
Broadcast: regular OTA FOX on TV, FOX One and FOX Sports apps, streaming on Tubi
Predicted Starting XIs: Socceroos USMNT
Current FIFA Ranking: USMNT #15 Socceroos #22
Google’s Result Probability: Australia win 17% Draw 23% USA win 60%
Group Standing: Australia 2nd, 3 pts, +2 GD USA 1st, 3 pts, +3 GD
It’s time to play knifey-spoony Australia!
An American sports pundit that I have never heard of until this morning took a pointless and useless shot against Australia awhile ago. He then doubled down on his unneccessary trolling, in order to further amplify his individual brand. Then an Australian soccer legend, who was apparently really great, but I have never heard of him until this morning, fired back.
And just like that, we have bad blood between these two English speaking countries/former colonies of the British crown.
Hey, whatever you need to do in order to bring the extra juice!
We’re just waiting now for Socceroos ultras to make “jokes” about school shootings and capitol stormings at the expense of Pulisic, and maybe other members of the USMNT.
We’re thinking Pulisic will be on a strict pitch count for this one, but still involved from the jump. Then he could give way to Sebastian Berhalter or Gio Reyna in the attacking midfield. If you don’t already know, and you want more feuding/drama in your life, Google Berhalter and Reyna together, and see what happened a few years ago.
Or just click on this link.
USMNT Starting Lineup Prediction vs Paraguay
Matt Freese; Alex Freeman, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Antonee “Jedi” Robinson; Tyler Adams, Malik Tillman; Sergino Dest, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic; Falorin Balogun
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.