Freeman and Pepi send USA through as Group D winners

USA top the group with a game to spare

Your team is through. USA beat Australia 2–0 on Friday to lock up first place in Group D, and Paraguay did the rest, their 1–0 win over Turkiye made it mathematically official (1) (2). Alex Freeman scored one, Ricardo Pepi added the other, and the defense held firm against an Australian side that had no answer. Two matches, two wins, group won. Mauricio Pochettino called it "a team that really believe in what it is doing with different plans and with a different approach" (4).

Ibrahimovic: start believing

Zlatan Ibrahimovic does not do quiet optimism. "If you didn't believe before, I will repeat; start believing," he said Friday after the Australia result (2). Speaking to Rebecca Lowe, the former Sweden striker put the USMNT squarely in the World Cup conversation. Pochettino has now matched the record for most World Cup wins by a USMNT manager, after two games.

Turkiye in LA on Thursday, then the knockout rounds

One group match left, and nothing is on the line. USA face Turkiye on Thursday in Los Angeles, but the group is already decided, your team top, Turkiye bottom (2). The real date is July 1, when USA face a third-place finisher in the last-32 tie. Pochettino can rest whoever he wants against Turkiye and keep everything pointed at the knockout stage.

Fan reactions

The subreddits are buzzing about Pochettino tying the USMNT record for World Cup wins in just two matches, a stat that landed hard after the Australia result. There is also a fair bit of dark humor about Turkiye's collapse against 10-man Paraguay, with fans wondering aloud how badly Turkiye threw away chances that would have kept the group alive. Read more on r/soccer