It's not "ridiculous": The USMNT's World Cup dream feels more real than ever

SEATTLE – It looked familiar.

In a second-straight World Cup win, a 2-0 triumph over Australia, the U.S. men’s national team once again dominated the first half and took an early lead through an own goal. Then they extended their lead right before halftime before slowing down in a somewhat more chaotic second half skewed by a different game state and defensive substitutions intended to preserve the lead. 

This time, a two-goal cushion meant holding on for three points was more tense than their opener against Paraguay. But the result never seemed in doubt. 

Surprisingly, Mauricio Pochettino turned to striker Ricardo Pepi to replace the injured Christian Pulisic in his starting lineup, with teammates noting postgame that they learned just the morning of the game that the USMNT’s talisman wouldn’t be available. 

“CP is a fantastic player, the quality and the leadership he gives us. We didn’t have him today but I think you saw we’re still capable to go out there and get a result and put in a performance,” Folarin Balogun said. And the Monaco hitman is a big reason why his own message rings true. In the 11th minute, Balogun burst down the left side and onto a ball from Antonee Robinson, burning Australia’s right-sided center back Alessandro Circati and forcing the own goal.