USA secures knockout place with 2-0 win against Australia in World Cup

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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. 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. Australia fans, almost uniformly resplendent in yellow, were audible throughout in their three large pockets of support centred around Seattle Stadium’s south end.

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Soccer won. That much could have been predicted before a temperate and bright Friday afternoon in the pacific northwest, 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. Continue reading...