USMNT makes bizarre World Cup history vs Australia

· Yahoo Sports

The United States men’s national team is on an absolute heater to start the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup.

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The USMNT‘s opening 4-1 win over Paraguay on June 12 and follow-up 2-0 defeat of Australia at Lumen Field in Seattle on Friday afternoon had one thing in common: a relentless, hungry, and young attack.

Well, two things.

The USMNT’s 2026 World Cup goal account opened on an own goal by Paraguay’s Damián Bobadilla in the seventh minute, and the USMNT took a 1-0 advantage over Australia on an own goal by Australia’s Cameron Burgess in the 11th minute.

According to OptaJack, the USMNT is now the first team in FIFA men’s World Cup history to benefit from an own goal in two consecutive matches.

Alex Freeman of United States celebrates with his teammates after scoring his team’s second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Australia at Seattle Stadium on June 19, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by MB Media/Getty Images)

The best part about that stat is that the USMNT is not relying upon own goals to get by. Their aforementioned attack is applying pressure and putting defenders in compromising positions, leading to own goals as well as spectacular finishes by USMNT players.

Against Australia, Folarin Balogun charged into the box and delivered a perfect cross, which hit Burgess’ foot before it could reach Ricardo Pepi. The ball was going into the net one way or another.

Then, Alex Freeman, an ascending 21-year-old star, provided the cherry on top with a goal in the 43rd minute:

The 2-0 victory marks the first time the USMNT has won two consecutive matches at a World Cup since 1930, per OptaJack. More importantly, these two opening wins put the USMNT through to the knockout stage.

The USMNT will wrap up Group D play against Turkiye at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Thursday, June 25.

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