Today is Juneteenth. The day honors the date in 1865 (which, remarkably, was only 161 years ago), that enslaved Texans were informed by a United States Major General that they had been freed by The Emancipation Proclamation. Though that hallowed document had been signed more than two years prior, it was on this day in 1865 that the promise of freedom for those in the Confederacy finally became a reality.

Needless to say, a historic day for our nation. It’s hopefully an auspicious day for another notable chapter for our nation, this time for the sport that the country is finally starting to acknowledge as worthy of national attention. Though this match is certainly not bigger than Juneteenth, as we embrace the day, the day is certainly big enough to embrace us back.

Today, the USMNT plays their second group stage match. The opponent? Australia.

Australia shocked Turkiye in the opener, shutting out the Turkish attackers while lacerating their defensive third with powerful and direct attacks. Both goals were excellent, but the second one will give the US the most pause, because it indicates the type of talent that can do things that most mortals can’t.

That is Nestory Irankunda, and he is 20 years old. He currently plays for Watford, but his club destination seems destined to be amongst the elite. Alex Freeman and the rest of the defense are in for a day. A look at the larger Australia roster for this 2026 tournament should indicate that there’s more high level experience and pedigree than some might think (certainly the Turkish contingent seemed surprised by the quality). The squad traditionally has also been quite collective in their approach, and willing to make the game physically difficult for opponents. In short, Australia has enough talent and role player support to do damage.

The US, meanwhile, seem unlikely to start a fully healthy Christian Pulisic, who was a pivotal factor in the best world cup half of soccer the USMNT has ever delivered in a World Cup setting. His substitution at halftime drained a significant amount of danger and drive out of the attack, and allowed Paraguay to gain more of a foothold in the opener. Though the team assured the press and fans that the substitution was precautionary, the injury minor, Pulisic has not trained fully with the squad any day in the week since that game. Pulisic has been seen training individually at times, but the messaging and comments have been noncommittal, and no clear statement progress of toward playing time have been expressed by anyone.

This video below provides as good a theory as any why this week might be too soon for a healthy Pulisic, though the diagnosis, it should be noted, has not been confirmed by the team.

If Pulisic is unable to start, and if the injury is one that limits the effectiveness of his particular playstyle and/or he is susceptible to compounding the injury, especially in such a physically risky context, US coach Mauricio Pochettino must look for other options. They exist within the squad. Malik Tillman seems likely to retain one of the 10 positions, and the other could be claimed by any one of McKennie, Aaronson, Reyna, Weah, or perhaps even surprise inclusion, Alex Zendejas. If Christian is unavailable for this match, it is vital that whoever replaces him in the lineup take on the mantle of offensive catalyst, and provide the type of urgency and impact that will cover for the star’s absence.

A nation watches. Will you?

How to Watch

USMNT vs. Australia

Advertised Kick-off Time: 3:00pm Eastern, 12:00pm Pacific

Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle

Available TV: Fox (English), Telemundo (Spanish), Universo (Spanish)

Available streaming: Fox Sports (English), Fox One (English), Peacock (Spanish), FuboTV (Free Trial)