Carli Lloyd Issues Warning to USMNT Doubters After Win vs Australia

United States women’s national team legend and two-time FIFA women’s World Cup champion Carli Lloydretired from soccer in late 2021.

She may not play anymore, but she knows a winner when she sees one, and she believes she saw one at Lumen Field in Seattle on Friday afternoon.

The U.S. men’s national team defeated Australia 2-0 in their Group D match - thanks to one own goal by Cameron Burgess and a soaring header by 21-year-old Alex Freeman - marking the first time the USMNT have won their first two games at a World Cup since 1930.

“The togetherness that you see within this group, just the maturity of everything,” Lloyd said on the FOX postgame broadcast. “The tactical changes, [Christian] Pulisic out, [and] Alexi [Lalas] talked about having to maybe not win pretty. Second half was a little bit sloppy. They didn’t have much possession. But they found a way to win.”

Lloyd added, “If people aren’t believing, now is the time to believe because this team is doing something really, really special, and it’s unbelievable to see. They played a near perfection game, as far as the roles that were needed from each individual.”

By taking care of Paraguay and Australia, the Americans are through to the knockout stage with one group-stage date left. According to the FOX broadcast, the USMNT has never clinched a knockout stage spot this soon at the World Cup.

If Paraguay beats or draws against Turkiye, the U.S. will win Group D before night’s end.

If Turkiye beats Paraguay, the USMNT will still want to get a positive result against Turkiye on Thursday, June 25, even if they no longer need it. Winning the group, as opposed to advancing as the runner-up, ensures a much more favorable path to a quarterfinal or semifinal run. Their +5 goal differential will help with that, too.

If the USMNT enter their matchup with Turkiye having already won the group, expect an extremely conservative approach from manager Mauricio Pochettino. It would also buy Pulisic, who was inactive against Australia due to a lingering calf injury, more time to get as close to 100% as possible for the knockout stage.

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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 3:19 PM.