How a furiously contested friendly set the stage for USA v Australia at the World Cup

H aji Wright’s finish was cool, but Mauricio Pochettino’s reaction was cooler. It was the 35th minute of the US men’s national team’s friendly against Australia last October, and the Coventry City striker had just equalized after Jordan Bos put the Socceroos up earlier in the half. Wright celebrated by walking calmly away, while his coach had a blank expression on the sideline. Pochettino’s mind may have been on Australia’s aggressive approach, including one challenge that forced Christian Pulisic out of the match midway through the first half. Or he may have been focused on his team’s reaction. “[Pochettino] wasn’t too happy with letting them punch us in a way, without punching back,” Wright said this week. The Argentinian made his feelings known in a passionate half-time speech, captured in part on a recent docuseries covering the team’s journey to the World Cup . The pep talk was forceful enough to have had an impact even on the players who did not hear it first-hand. “You could tell by the reaction of the guys,” said Brenden Aaronson, who was out on the field warming up to come on as a sub during the speech. The US matched Australia’s intensity in the second half, securing the first of three straight wins that sent them into 2026 with positive momentum. “Even though he’s Argentinian, he has that mindset of like, look, this is what we do, you know, and this is who we are, and this is what America’s about,” Sebastian Berhalter said. …