USMNT World Cup roster implications: Wright, Roldan make cases

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Haji Wright scored goals either side of halftime to help the United States beat Australia 2-1 in a friendly Tuesday night.

The Coventry City striker’s double helped the hosts overcome Jordan Bos’ 19th-minute opener, with both goals assisted by midfielder Cristian Roldan.

The United States’ victory extended their unbeaten streak to three games, while Australia saw their run end to 11 games under Tony Popovic. It was also the first time in nine games that the United States had won under Mauricio Pochettino after conceding first.

Jeff Carlisle and Joey Lynch look at the main talking points from the match.

– In fact: Wright inspires the USMNT after the Socceroos
– Pulisic was substituted early in USMNT friendly against Australia
– World Cup 2026: who qualified and how others can get there

1. Wright shows the striker competition is still open

After Folarin Balogun scored in each of his last two games against the United States, it began to look like he had gained some distance in the race to secure the starting striker spot. It was perhaps a little confusing then when Pochettino decided to give Wright a start in place of Balogun. After all, Wright hadn’t started for the United States since September 2024 against New Zealand.

The move proved to be a masterstroke, as Wright scored twice, although it wasn’t obvious at first. In the opening minutes, Wright looked a little lost and seemed strangely reluctant to exploit the space at the back that the Australian backline was giving him.

But Wright stuck to his task, latching onto a through ball from Roldan in the 33rd minute to score right-footed past Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan. Then, six minutes into the second half, he took another pass from Roldan, left defender Cameron Burgess in a heap on the ground and curled his effort past Ryan into the Australian goal.

If the World Cup were to start tomorrow, Balogun would likely start for the United States, but Wright’s goals kept him in contention and increased his chances of earning a spot on the United States’ World Cup roster. — Carlisle

2. The Socceroos’ unbeaten streak was finally broken

This was going to have to end at some point. For the first time in the Popovic era, the Socceroos lost a match, ending a run of 11 matches that began with his first match in charge last September and which had produced victories in the team’s last seven matches.

There are all the qualifications for this to be a friendly with a bigger, World Cup-shaped goal in mind – even if Popovic and his team have rejected that narrative in the build-up to the match – but particularly disappointing for the Socceroos will be that Tuesday night’s defeat came despite Bos having the lead after 19 minutes.

Defense has long been this team’s great strength, even before Popovic’s arrival, but as to be expected from the former defender, this has only strengthened in recent times. And it’s not yet panic for Australians.

However, two lapses in concentration were enough for Wright to fall behind and, as the league’s top scorer showed, players who are in form and playing at the highest level will punish you if you give them the chance. As the Socceroos began chasing the match – a state of play largely unseen since their late draw against Bahrain last November – the American team was able to capitalize and create a series of looks at goal that, with a slightly sharper finish, could easily have blown the lead further. — Lynch

3. Roldan bounces back after slow start

It’s staggering to think that two months ago, Roldan didn’t seem close to a place on the World Cup squad. He was even forgotten for the September window, but was then recalled late and then made an outstanding change in the 2-0 win over Japan.

On Tuesday, Roldan once again helped his cause with another big performance, all the more impressive considering how it started. The United States had plenty of possession early on, but out of nowhere in the 19th minute Bos broke through the American defense, with Chris Richards and Roldan both having to do better to thwart the left back’s slalom run.

But Roldan bounced back impressively. He quickly made his mark on the American attack and almost scored twice on shots that narrowly missed the target. After his assist on Wright’s first goal, Roldan thought quickly to set up Wright’s second goal. After Alex Freeman won a free-kick on the right wing, Roldan had the presence of mind to take it quickly and immediately put Wright in a one-on-one situation which he duly converted.

Like Wright, Roldan has done much to increase his chances of making a second consecutive World Cup squad. The Seattle Sounders midfielder has plenty of bodies to climb over to achieve that goal, some of whom have impressive pedigrees. But Roldan appears to be one of Pochettino’s favorites for his contributions on and off the pitch, and if he continues to perform at this level it will be almost impossible to leave him out of the World Cup roster. — Carlisle

4. Pulisic injury casts a veil over the October window

After a successful September window, one of Christian Pulisic’s hopes in October was to see him playing alongside more of the USMNT’s first-choice roster. This was not to be the case. An ankle injury limited Pulisic to just 17 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Ecuador. It’s unclear whether Pulisic injured the same ankle against Australia, but what is known is that he was the victim of several significant challenges. After Australian Jason Geria received a booking in the 26th minute for a transition tackle on Pulisic, the American striker was sent off two minutes later.

Pochettino’s decision to remove Pulisic made sense. There was no reason to further risk his star’s health, especially given the American striker’s good form with AC Milan. Still, the injury remains a blow to the USMNT, at least in the context of this window. The countdown to the World Cup is ticking, and the more Pochettino can get his best players on the pitch at the same time, the better. Now that will have to wait until next month, assuming Pulisic recovers in time. — Carlisle

5. Losing Australia could be costly

Thanks to their victory against Canada, combined with Austria’s shock 1-0 defeat against Romania in the European qualifiers, the Socceroos entered Tuesday evening 24th in the FIFA rankings. It’s a position that would have propelled the Socceroos into Pot 2, and potentially into a weaker World Cup group, had the draw taken place that day.

Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat, however, put a damper on those hopes. While a road loss to 16th-ranked USA won’t necessarily cost them a significant number of ranking points – a far cry from the 14.88 Austria lost for their loss to the Romanians – Australia will nevertheless take a step back.

Will this defeat ultimately prove costly? We can’t know for sure, but with a clash with reigning world champions and world number 2 Argentina, India, among others, widely rumored to be one of the Socceroos’ opponents in the November window (and 21st-ranked Iran another rumored opponent in that window), the Australians could have a mountain to climb before the December draw. — Lynch

6. Bos shows why he is considered one of Australia’s best

Disappointing as the defeat was, the evening was not a complete loss for Australia, with Bos putting in another performance which, despite stiff competition from Nestory Irankunda and Mo Toure, marks him out as the most exciting talent in green and gold.

After being named Eredivisie Player of the Month, the first Australian to win the honour, the 22-year-old instantly changed the dynamic of the match when he came on as a second-half substitute against Canada and was among Australia’s best when he started against the United States on Tuesday night.

Blessed with rare athleticism, the left-back’s ability to tirelessly move up and down the touchline adds a vital ability to break lines and advance into field position in Popovic’s system, and his goal – pouncing on a loose ball, weaving his way through three American defenders, bundling on Roldan and finishing in the bottom corner – was emblematic of the combination of skill and physical power he brings at the game.

Bos set an Australian transfer record at the time when he moved from Melbourne City to KVC Westerlo in 2023 and the €5 million move he completed to Feyenoord this season already appears to be a bargain for the Dutch giants. Give him a year or two, and it’s hard to see how the former Point Cook junior isn’t playing and starting in one of the biggest leagues in the world. — Lynch