USA surge into World Cup knockout stage after dominant victory over Socceroos

Soccer won. That much could have been predicted before a temperate and bright Friday afternoon in the Pacific north-west, in a rare match between two sides that can agree on that terminology. The manner of play, too, had been predicted by the players and coaches of both teams: a tight, competitive match of football (or whatever you want to call it), with a 2-0 win for the United States delighting the vast majority of the 66,925-strong sellout crowd and securing the host nation’s place in the knockout round. The result could also see US could secure top spot in Group D, depending on howthe Turkey v Paraguay match goes later on Friday. Unlike most participating nations, the US and Australia seemingly play every World Cup with the weight of the future of their sport on their shoulders, as both sides face competition for soccer attention from other sports. The significance of this match was never going to be in question, though. Not at the World Cup, and certainly not in a group as balanced as Group D, with both sides coming off impressive World Cup-opening wins. Australia fans, almost uniformly resplendent in yellow, were audible throughout in their three large pockets of support centred around Seattle Stadium’s south end. However this was ultimately a raucous and partisan crowd in one of the capitals of the sport in the United States. …