Pulisic is injured as the US ends Australia’s unbeaten run in Denver

Haji Wright scored a goal in each half as the United States cruised to a 2-1 win over Australia in Denver on Tuesday, ending the Socceroos’ unbeaten run under Tony Popovic.

However, the victory came at a price, as American talisman Christian Pulisic came off injured before the half hour mark after close attention from defender Jason Geria.

An initial heavy challenge from Geria saw Pulisic clutch his right ankle, and as he got back to his feet he was soon taken down again when Geria clipped his heel from behind to earn a yellow card.

After being examined by trainers, Pulisic trudged off and was replaced by Diego Luna.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino said the AC Milan striker, who wore the captain’s armband in Tim Ream’s absence, had felt «something in his hamstring».

«Tomorrow he will fly to Italy. Tonight we will assess (him), but we cannot say anything at the moment,» the Argentinian said.

Pulisic’s strike made for a poor start for the hosts, who found themselves a goal behind Dick’s Goods Sporting Park after 19 minutes.

Also read | Which countries have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

Australian full-back Jordan Bos took advantage of static defense after his own throw-in to maneuver through traffic in the penalty area and slam home a volley from close range.

But Wright leveled the match in the 33rd minute with a clever toe-poke at the near post, holding on to Cristian Roldan’s through ball.

The Coventry City striker then curled in the winner five minutes after the restart, setting up Cameron Burgess in the penalty area after the Australians were caught out by Roldan’s long free-kick down the right channel.

Wright’s brace ended the Socceroos’ seven-match winning streak while ensuring the US ended the October international window on a high after taking a 1-1 lead against Ecuador in Texas last week.

“Our performance was good, but I think the team is ready to perform much better,” said Pochettino.

«Am I happy? Yes. But I wanted to see more, to see individual players perform better. That is my competitive blood.»

«We cannot allow the goal we conceded in a World Cup. If we go into a match like that, it will be difficult to get another chance.»

Australia, meanwhile, suffered its first defeat in more than a year after being unbeaten in 12 games and 11 under Popovic.

Both sides have changed their line-ups from their previous friendlies.

Pochettino started Wright and Pulisic up front, while Popovic brought goalkeeper and captain Mat Ryan back into the starting XI after bringing on Paul Izzo in the 1-0 win over Canada.

The Socceroos’ youthful attacking duo Nestory Irankunda and Mohamed Toure came off the bench after the hour but failed to conjure an equalizer to maintain Popovic’s unbeaten record.

Published on October 15, 2025