The United States men's national team faces a tough test against Australia without Christian Pulisic. Pulisic suffered a calf injury in the opener against Paraguay and will not play.

What happened to Pulisic?

Pulisic was kicked in the left calf during the United States' World Cup opener against Paraguay. He exited the game at halftime.

United States lineup today vs Australia

Ricardo Pepi will get the start in Pulisic's place. Mauricio Pochettino revealed the news before the match.

How did Pulisic get hurt?

Pulisic told reporters he was hoping it's nothing after the game. He had similar injuries before and is staying positive.

United States 2026 World Cup schedule

DateOpponentTimeLocation
June 12Paraguay
June 19Australia3 p.m. ETLumen Field, Seattle
June 25Turkey10 p.m. ETSofi Stadium, Inglewood, California

The United States attack is playing at a high level right now. Seth Vertelney predicts a 2-1 win for the United States. Jon Arnold predicts a 2-0 win.

Group D standings

The United States is currently tied with Australia at the top of Group D. The standings are as follows: - United States 1-0-0 (+3) – 3 points - Australia 1-0-0 (+2) – 3 points - Turkey 0-0-1 (-2) – 0 points - Paraguay 0-0-1 (-3) 0 points

United States vs Australia predictions

Victoria Hernandez predicts a 2-1 win for the United States. Jesse Yomtov predicts a 1-1 draw.

The United States needs to focus on the players who are going to play. Mauricio Pochettino told Fox Sports they hope Pulisic can be ready soon. The United States has a very important game ahead.

The World Cup knockout round schedule is as follows: - Group Stage: June 11-June 27 - Round of 32: June 28-July 3 - Round of 16: July 4-7 - Quarterfinals: July 9-11 - Semifinals: July 14-15 - Third-place game: July 18 (Miami Gardens, Florida) - Final: July 19 (East Rutherford, New Jersey)

The United States is playing with more to prove on home soil. The team will face Turkey next on June 25. The United States needs to stay focused and keep playing at a high level.