The US national soccer team found a way to advance to the knockout round without the injured forward Christian Pulisic on the field, beating Australia 2-0 Friday for its second straight victory at the largest World Cup in history.

Team Effort

According to Folarin Balogun, who scored two goals in the 4-1 victory over Paraguay on June 12, ‘C.P. is a fantastic player — the quality and the leadership that 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 up a performance.’

Pulisic, who plays for AC Milan and has 33 goals in 87 international appearances, missed Friday’s match because of a calf injury. Alex Freeman, the youngest player on the team at 21 and son of Super Bowl champion Antonio Freeman, gave the Americans a 2-0 lead in the 43rd minute off a set piece.

Coach’s Praise

Coach Mauricio Pochettino praised Freeman, saying ‘(He) is doing a fantastic job. The evolution is massive. He’s so humble. He wants to learn. He always listens. He’s a player that you really enjoy being with him. Not only coaching, but being with him.’

The US took a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute after a run down the left sideline by Balogun. He directed a centering pass towards striker Ricardo Pepi, who started in place of Pulisic. The ball never reached Pepi, deflecting off Australia defender Cameron Burgess and into the Socceroos’ net for an own-goal.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.