Despite Pulisic’s absence, US beat Australia 2-0 to advance to World Cup knockouts

SEATTLE: (Jun 20)  The US national soccer team advanced to the knockout round at the World Cup despite the absence of injured forward Christian Pulisic, beating Australia 2-0 on Friday.

A deep US roster overcame Pulisic’s absence to clinch a knockout berth after only two matches for the first time.

The last time the Americans served as World Cup hosts in 1994, they advanced by being one of the best third-place teams. They then lost to eventual champion Brazil in the round of 16.