Joe Scally is part of a U.S. group that will face Australia on Friday in Seattle without Christian Pulisic. Mauricio Pochettino said the U.S. star will not play because of a left calf injury, leaving the team to adjust after opening with a 4-1 win over Paraguay.
Pulisic had trained apart from his teammates on Thursday for the fourth straight day. The U.S. was scheduled to meet Australia at noon PST at Lumen Field, with both sides arriving off opening wins and three points already on the board.
Cristian Roldan and Seattle
Cristian Roldan gives the roster a local link for a game that should draw a loud crowd. He has played for the Seattle Sounders since 2015 and said, "I fully expect this crowd to be extremely loud. And, they’re going to energize our group," as Seattle prepares to host the match.
Roldan also said, "This is one of the loudest stadiums in the world when you think about Seahawks games or Sounders games." He added, "Just seeing the Belgium game against Egypt and how the atmosphere was there, I fully expect the city of Seattle to come out and show out, and I think the guys are going to feel that type of energy."
Pochettino's lineup options
The missing piece changes the attacking picture immediately. Kacey White pointed to Brenden Aaronson, Sebastian Berhalter, Malik Tillman, Alejandro Zendejas, and Gio Reyna as options if Pochettino reshapes the midfield and attack around Pulisic’s absence.
Brad Evans was more direct about the burden on the U.S. attack. "I said before the tournament that this team is going to go as far as Pulisic carries them," he said, before adding, "So Pochettino has to make some adjustments."
Australia in Seattle
Australia arrives with its own edge. It opened with a 2-0 victory over Turkey on Saturday, and Tony Popovic said, "We want to earn our respect," while Harry Souttar said the U.S. will try to start fast against Australia.
The U.S. already beat Australia 2-1 in a friendly in October, but this meeting has a different feel because the opening-game form has turned it into a direct fight for position. With Pulisic out, the question is how quickly the U.S. can replace his end product in a match that starts at noon PST in Seattle.
