Pulisic’s absence did not prevent his teammates from rallying around Wright, who, in his first U.S. start in 13 months, tied the match in the 33rd minute and scored the go-ahead goal in the 51st.
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — If the U.S. men’s national team is going to make a significant run at the 2026 World Cup, it’s going to need top attacker Christian Pulisic on the field and in good form. This much is clear. His club career on the rise in Italy, he is poised to shine when the quadrennial spectacle comes to North America next summer.
However, the international window that ended Tuesday — the third-to-last assembly before Mauricio Pochettino selects his World Cup roster — provided opportunity for the U.S. squad to play effective soccer largely without the hobbled Pulisic over two matches.
After Pulisic left in the first half with an apparent ankle injury, Haji Wright scored twice in 18 minutes bridging halftime as the Americans came from behind to defeat previously surging Australia, 2-1, before 18,218 witnesses at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
In the first test of the window — a 1-1 draw with Ecuador on Friday in Austin, Texas — Pulisic was reduced to second-half sub because of an ankle ailment suffered in training camp. He started Tuesday, but after two hard challenges, left the match.
It was not immediately clear whether he had aggravated the same ankle that limited him last week. An update was expected later Tuesday night.
Pulisic’s absence did not prevent his teammates from rallying around Wright, who, in his first U.S. start in 13 months, tied the match in the 33rd minute and scored the go-ahead goal in the 51st. A goal scorer at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Wright leads the second-flight English Championship in scoring at Coventry City.
Haji Wright fires the USMNT back level with Australia 💥 pic.twitter.com/YOp9SfLzLh
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 15, 2025
Both goals against Australia were assisted by Cristian Roldan, a defensive midfielder attempting to parlay a superb MLS season and impactful performances during these camps into a second straight World Cup roster berth.
On the eve of the game, Pochettino spoke of weighing almost the same starting lineup as the Ecuador match or making several changes in order to evaluate others.
“Maybe they can tomorrow have the opportunity to perform and say, ‘Be careful, because I am knocking on the door and I can be there also in the World Cup,’” he said.
Pochettino opted for the latter. Six new starters entered the lineup: Pulisic, Wright, Roldan, center back Mark McKenzie, wing back Alex Freeman and defensive midfielder James Sands.
Sands made his first appearance since the 2023 Gold Cup semifinals.
Similar to Ecuador — which arrived stateside on an 11-game unbeaten run before drawing with the United States — the Socceroos entered the U.S. matchup on a 12-game unbeaten streak, including seven straight victories, most recently against Canada on Friday in Montreal.
Aussie Coach Tony Popovic made six lineup changes Tuesday.
The meeting on a cool night north of Denver was the first between the sides since a tune-up won by the United States a week before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
A meek start to the match gave way to Australia’s goal in the 19th minute against a woefully passive U.S. defense. Jordan Bos executed a throw-in and scored the goal.
Bos’s throw was flicked by Sands. Sands couldn’t recover in time and Chris Richards was slow to react. Bos collected the ball on one bounce in the penalty area and split Roldan and Richards before lifting the ball off Roldan. Bos chested it down and slammed a seven-yard shot past Matt Freese and into the far corner.
Pulisic’s night ended after absorbing a second hard challenge in the space of 11 minutes. After receiving medical attention in the center circle, he left the field gingerly and was soon replaced by Diego Luna.
The Americans’ pace picked up. In the 33rd minute, as the jacketed Pulisic approached the locker room entrance behind the goal the U.S. team was attacking, Richards stepped up to intercept a pass at midfield. Roldan and Weston McKennie combined before Roldan slipped a delicate pass through a narrow channel to Wright in stride for a rising right-footer into the near side from 12 yards.
The halftime whistle helped defuse rising tensions after Sands was taken down hard twice.
Shortly after intermission, Wright struck again. Roldan’s quick restart near midfield liberated Wright one on one with defender Cameron Burgess. Wright’s cutback in the box sent Burgess tumbling, and the U.S. forward curled a 15-yarder into the far corner for his seventh international goal.
𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 goal for Haji Wright 😤 pic.twitter.com/hJTqp9O4tT
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 15, 2025
Pochettino made his final five substitutions, including Folarin Balogun, Friday’s scoring hero, for Wright in the 64th minute and Aidan Morris for Roldan in the 76th.
Down the stretch, the Americans absorbed pressure and created some of their own, including Luna deep in the box and Morris in the clear.
The U.S. team will resume World Cup preparations next month against Paraguay in Chester, Pennsylvania, and Uruguay in Tampa.
Category: General Sports
