Having started the 2026 World Cup with a bang – thumping Paraguay 4-1 – the US then took on Australia in their second Group D game. Playing in Seattle, they came away with a 2-0 win, built upon an excellent first-half display.

Despite missing star man Christian Pulisic through injury, the home team looked to be full of confidence as they started with great intensity. This helped Mauricio Pochettino’s men take a lead when Folarin Balogun forced an own goal in off Cameron Burgess after just 11 minutes.

Before the break, the USMNT had doubled their lead, with Alex Freeman surviving an initial offside call, with VAR allowing the goal to stand, with the American clearly onside. In the second half, Australia settled and looked a little more threatening. But they didn’t do enough to mount a comeback, with the home team hanging on to claim a 2-0 victory.

BBC Pundits Impressed by One USMNT Star

US players via Reuters/Troy Wayrynen

In particular, Balogun really caught the eye. Having scored a brace in that opening win against Paraguay, he once again looked lively in this game. Former France World Cup winner Olivier Giroud was blown away by Balogun’s efforts. He said on the BBC Sport coverage:

Theo Walcott also said he ‘loves’ the fact that the US striker is ‘so positive’, while adding that the player is great at ‘exposing centre-halves’ with his pace. That speed was apparent for the opening goal, while Balogun’s electric movement caused more problems in the second half as he won multiple corners.

Speaking to the press after the game, Balogun said, ‘It means everything’ to hear the US fans chanting his name in the stadium. He added: “To be able to replay the fans on the biggest stage means the world to me.”

US Fans Blown Away by Balogun vs Australia

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Kiyoshi Mio

The BBC pundits weren’t the only ones to be impressed by the Monaco star either. Indeed, it’s fair to say the US fans were more than happy with Balogun’s efforts on the day. One said:

Another added: “Balogun really is incredible.” While a third word: “Balogun might be the best to ever put on a USMNT kit.” One more simply said: “Balogun is brilliant.”

With Balogun leading the way, many US fans are starting to believe that they are going to win the World Cup. One said:

Another added: “We are actually going to win the World Cup.” With a third adding: “The USA really are going to win the World Cup.”

With six points from their opening two games, the US have confirmed their place in the next round of the competition. If they can make it three wins from three in their final group game (against Turkey), confidence will be sky high.

When you are quite probably the greatest footballer of all time, everything you do will attract attention. Some of it will be good, but some of it will be unwanted. It’s the latter for Lionel Messi, despite his recent hat-trick to kick off Argentina’s World Cup campaign.

The 38-year-old was on fire as he smashed in three goals against Algeria to give his nation a 3-0 win in their Group J opener. Messi’s display in ​Kansas City left fans and pundits purring, as he took his tally of World Cup goals to 16 in total, now level with record holder Miroslav Klose.

In the aftermath of that game, however, one nation has now lodged an official complaint to FIFA.

Algeria Make Complaint Over Two Issues After Argentina Loss

Siphiwe Sibeko via Reuters

According to Reuters, Algeria have lodged a complaint about ‘alleged poor refereeing’ during their 3-0 loss to Argentina in their opening World Cup fixture. The report adds that ‘a source with direct knowledge of the matter’ has revealed that a letter was sent to FIFA’s refereeing commission, with particular reference to the first-half incident when Messi stood on the calf of ​Algeria captain Aissa Mandi.

While the team from Africa immediately argued that it should have been a red card, the iconic forward ⁠was not punished. Adding insult to injury, he then went on to score a hat-trick.

Beyond the Messi incident, Algeria also claim that an elbow from Liverpool midfielder Alexis ​Mac Allister in the face of Ibrahim Maza should have been punished. They question why it went unpunished by Szymon Marciniak. The experienced Polish referee, who was in charge of the 2022 World Cup final (won by Argentina on penalties against France), was within a meter of the incident when Mac Allister ​appeared to body-check Maza with a raised elbow.

Algeria’s complaint raises questions about Marciniak’s performance and that ​of his VAR team, led by compatriot Tomasz Kwiatkowski.

Pundits Offer Clear Verdict on Messi Incident vs Algeria

The general consensus was that Messi probably should have been sent off for the foul. ESPN pundit Nedum Onuoha said: think it should have been a red card, in my opinion. It feels like the moment was missed.” He added: “The referee’s probably missed it – and I understand why he’s missed it – but for the video assistant referee [VAR] to look at that and say ‘no, that’s all fine, there’s nothing more to it’… I personally think that’s worthy of a red.”

Onuoha’s co-pundit, the former Venezuela international Ale Moreno, went even further by claiming it was “100% a red card for Lionel Messi. It should have been.”

Piers Morgan was a little more forthright with his criticism of the challenge, noting:

Argentina will ace Austria in Dallas next, while Algeria take on Jordan in San ​Francisco.

USA fans have been left baffled after noticing their national anthem was tweaked ahead of their World Cup game against Australia on Friday night. Mauricio Pochettino’s side have been proving everyone wrong so far this summer, with a 4-1 win over Paraguay last week setting the tone for a host nation determined to show its passion for the beautiful game.

But while the football has done much of the heavy lifting – they are 2-0 up against the Socceroos at the time of writing – the atmosphere in the stands has also underlined how far the beautiful game has come in the United States in recent years. However, there was confusion ahead of their second match, which took place at Seattle’s Lumen Field.

Their iconic ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ anthem rang out at full volume around the stadium, but something was noticeably missing, and FIFA protocol meant many supporters were hearing a version they had never encountered before.

USA Fans Baffled As National Anthem Was Sped Up Before Australia Game

Troy Wayrynen / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters

Many viewers noticed that the anthem was sped up, with one X user remarking: “WOW I have never heard the US National Anthem played at that pace. The crowd couldn’t even keep up!” But the reaction to the slight tweak wasn’t all positive, with another commenting (watch the sped-up version below):

Elsewhere, a third wrote: “The tempo was 2x normal speed for the song. It was amazing. Normalize this,” as a fourth concluded: “Speeding up the national anthem was a mistake, it ruined a beautiful moment.”

Why FIFA Protocol is at Fault for ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ Change

Ahead of the USMNT’s opening World Cup game against Paraguay in Los Angeles last week, stars including Katy Perry, Lisa and Future headlined the third of the tournament’s three opening ceremonies before country music duo Dan + Shay performed “The Star Spangled Banner” before kickoff.

Before the second group-stage game against Australia in Seattle, however, no performers were booked to sing either national anthem. That is the standard format for most World Cup matches and international games in general. Exceptions were made only for the opening matches involving the tournament’s three host nations: the United States, Mexico and Canada. Instead, a band played both national anthems, with fans at Lumen Field invited to sing along.

As one fan explained, it made a welcome change from other sports, as they wrote: Wonderful to hear @USMNT fans belt out the national anthem at the @FIFAWorldCup. Been to many @NFL and @NBA games, where there is a dragged-out anthem sung by someone always putting a twist on it, so no one dare join in. People love to sing!”