The U.S. men’s national team made a statement on Friday, defeating Australia 2-0 at Lumen Field in Seattle. An early Cameron Burgess own goal in the 11th minute opened the scoring, and an Alex Freeman strike right before halftime capped things off, sending the Americans into the World Cup knockout stage with a game to spare. And they did it without their biggest star, Christian Pulisic, who was sidelined for the match with a calf injury.
Combined with their 4-1 win over Paraguay in the opener, the U.S. now sit atop Group D with six points and a 5+ goal differential, clinching first place after Paraguay beat Turkey 1-0 later on Friday night.
Jermaine Jones, the fiery, fan-favorite midfielder who became a USMNT cult hero during the 2014 World Cup run in Brazil, stopped by SportsCenter on Saturday morning and made a strong statement about this U.S. team.
“We have a young group. They’ve created some excitement in this country. And I think with the fans, with the people, we should stay on this wave, and see what we can take. After the two games [USA] showed, I think we’re owed some respect in this tournament. There aren’t a lot of teams, like before, that would say, ‘Oh, we would like to play against the U.S,'” Jones said.
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Jones, a German-born American, switched allegiances in 2009 and racked up 69 caps across seven years representing the USMNT. Professionally, he spent over 20 years playing club soccer, including time with Bundesliga’s Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen, and Schalke 04, a brief loan stint with English side Blackburn Rovers, and a move to Beşiktaş in Turkey. He’d then spend the next six years playing in MLS, USL, and MASL before retiring in February 2020.
Even six years removed from professional play, Jones remains one of the most respected voices in American soccer, and he just made the loudest statement of the tournament: other teams are no longer lining up to play the USMNT.
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Confidence is contagious, and if the U.S. backs up Jones’ comments with a deep run, it could reshape how the entire soccer world views this program.
Next up, the United States will face Turkey on June 25 at SoFi Stadium, with its spot in the knockout stage already locked up.
