The co-hosts have had quite the World Cup so far. Yesterday, Canada routed Qatar and then Mexico outlasted South Korea. For Mexico, that win clinched a spot in the knockout round.
The U.S. men’s national team plays Australia this afternoon. Will Christian Pulisic play? What will the U.S. do for an encore after its big win over Paraguay? The NBC News sports crew will be live-blogging all the day’s games, so come hang with us!
Canada finally notched the country’s first World Cup win yesterday, in a 6-0 rout of Qatar after star striker Jonathan David netted three goals.
The hapless Qataris were reduced to nine players because of red cards in the chaotic match. Ismaël Koné, one of Canada’s best players, was also stretched off with a serious leg injury.
Prior to this year, Canada had only appeared in the tournament twice — in 2022 and in 1986. It had gone 0-6 in those World Cups and scored a total of two goals.
The euphoria of scoring three goals in each half was somewhat blighted by the horrific injury to Koné. Broadcast images showed his lower left leg visibly broken. Qatari midfielder Assim Madibo was sent off for the offending tackle and appeared distraught before he was ejected.
In the same group, Switzerland overpowered Bosnia-Herzegovina, 4-1, on a flurry of second-half goals. Both the Swiss and Canadians have all but secured their places in the knockout phase. In Group A, Czechia drew with South Africa 1-1 after conceding a late penalty kick. Also in Group A, co-hosts Mexico became the first team to qualify for the next round after beating South Korea 1-0 thanks to a second-half strike from Luis Romo.
Today, the U.S. will hope to keep its red-hot momentum when it faces Australia in a crucial Group D clash.
The Americans’ 4-1 demolition of Paraguay has stoked excitement among fans. However, coach Mauricio Pochettino is wary of the threat the Aussies pose.
“They are a very strong team, really believing in what they are doing,” Pochettino said of Australia, which beat Turkey 2-0 in its opener.
U.S. captain Christian Pulisic‘s availability is in doubt after being subbed off with a calf injury in the first game.
“If he’s not available for tomorrow, he will be available for the next game. He’s doing a massive effort,” Pochettino told reporters yesterday.
A win for either the U.S. or Australia would make the team a firm favorite to secure a better path in the knockout stage.
Turkey takes on Paraguay in San Francisco this evening. Group C will also begin to take shape as Scotland takes on Morocco in Boston. That’s followed by Brazil vs. Haiti in Philadelphia.
Canada’s first-ever World Cup victory, a 6-0 demolition derby of Qatar, was overshadowed yesterday by a gruesome leg injury suffered by midfield maestro Ismaël Koné. The Sassuolo man was carted off with his leg in an air cast midway through the second half after being tackled from behind by Qatar’s Assim Madibo. The 29-year-old saw straight red for the incident, Qatar’s second dismissal of the match after a 33rd-minute red to his teammate, Homam Ahmed.
In Les Rouges’ victory, however, they set a record for the most goals scored by a CONCACAF team at the tournament, highlighted by a Jonathan David hat trick and a direct free-kick strike from Nathan Saliba — who celebrated by honoring Koné. Fellow tournament hosts Mexico also found victory on the night, defeating South Korea 1-0 while becoming the first nation to clinch a spot in the round of 32. With a sold-out Guadalajara Stadium backing them, El Tri got by with a bit of luck and an egregious goalkeeping error from the Taegeuk Warriors.
Today, the U.S. takes the stage in its biggest test yet against Australia at 3 p.m. ET in Seattle, so put on your bald eagle mask and eat a hot dog with the most American beer you can find. Then, Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil battles against Haiti at 8:30 p.m. ET in Seattle as the Seleção look to secure their first victory of the competition, while playing the samba soccer the world craves to see.
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