USMNT vs Australia Thoughts

USA didn't look like they did against Paraguay, especially in the second half, but that's to be expected given Pulisic, one of their best attackers, didn't play. 1st half they were excellent. Came out flying, pushed the issue, and put the pressure on Australia. There were a couple of nervy moments at the start of the match, but Australia failed to punish them. 2nd half the US packed it in a bit and slowed the game down, which allowed Australia to come out and play more.

Here are a couple of quick thoughts on individual player performances:

Pepi/Balogun—Both were exceptional in pressing the Australia back line. Pepi's effort level is always so impressive. That guy works his ass off. You just don't see many strikers with his size with that kind of work rate. Balogun also put in the work. In general I thought Pepi, similar to the first game, looked a bit overwhelmed by the moment. He just looked nervy with the ball at his feet in the few opportunities he had. Balogun had some good moments when he was running at the defense or trying to get on the end of a cross. Had a few plays with his back to the goal where he could've done better. I'm still nervous if we'll be able to get the best out of him when we're on the backfoot and need our striker to hold up the ball in build-up play.
Adams/McKennie/Tillman—Nothing new to say. All 3 were just excellent yet again. Hardly put a foot wrong the entire game.
Dest/Robinson—Dangerous the whole game and added creativity. Robinson's work rate is just unbelievable. Was glad to see them both get subbed and get a few minutes of rest.
Ream/Richards/Freeman—Didn't have much to do defensively in the first half, but looked solid. Freeman in particular is so athletic and covered so much of the pitch throughout the match.

Random thoughts:

Defensive line made a couple of mistakes playing the ball out of the back early on. Still worried it's going to happen in one of the knockout games and lead to a goal for the opposition.
USA is currently projected to play either Algeria or Sweden with Bosnia, Ecuador, and Senegal all options. Sweden would be a nightmare. Algeria would be amazing. Probably about the best opponent you could have in the round of 32. Given the way the bracket is now, they would then play Egypt or a group 3rd place team. Again, could be a dream bracket to the quarters for USA. We just need to avoid Sweden.
Netherlands might be the team to beat. Their defense looks like it might be the most elite group (defense/midfield/forward line) in the tourney. They're going to be so tough to score on and their counterattacks have been deadly. Ultimately I still think France/England/Argentina have more talent and that'll ultimately prevail, but wow. Surprise team of the tournament for me.
Kind of crazy that England is such a large favorite over Ghana today. Kalshi have them at an 83% chance to win and Ghana just at 6%. That Ghana team is very good and looked great in their first game. England also looked great, but they've been known to put up stinkers in the group stage.