World Cup Daily: Concacaf kingpins coming up big

Two down, 30 to go. 

The United States became the second country at this summer’s FIFA World Cup to secure its place in the round of 32 after recording its second win in two games on Friday. The Americans follow in the footsteps of fellow Concacaf nation Mexico, which similarly won both of its opening games to advance out of its group. 

Semifinalists four years ago, Morocco continues to impress in this year’s competition, building upon a draw versus Brazil with a win against Scotland to top its group and move one step closer to qualifying for the knockout round. 

And it was back to winning ways for Brazil, which poured on the style against Haiti to earn its first win of the tournament. 

THE RESULTS SO FAR

Group D: United States 2, Australia 0 | Match report | Match stats 

Group C: Scotland 0, Morocco 1 | Match report | Match stats 

Group C: Brazil 3, Haiti 0 | Match report | Match stats 

Group D: Paraguay 1, Turkiye 0 | Match report | Match stats 

THE BIG TAKEAWAYS 

Concacaf kingpins continue to come up big 

What an incredible two-day period it’s been for Concacaf, the soccer region that covers North and Central America and the Caribbean. 

Canada rolled to an easy 6-0 win over Qatar on Thursday to all but guarantee a spot in the round of 32 and put itself in pole position to top its group, which includes Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland. On the same day, Mexico became the first nation at this World Cup to punch its ticket for the knockout stage after a 1-0 win vs. South Korea. 

The good times continued for Concacaf on Friday when the United States became the second country in the 48-nation field to officially advance out of the group stage with a 2-0 victory against Australia. 

The three co-hosts are unbeaten at this tournament, combining to win five of their six matches and jointly outscoring their opponents 16-2, a sure sign that Concacaf has been a collective force to deal with thus far. The Americans’ win against Australia was especially impressive considering they were missing talisman Christian Pulisic due to a calf injury. The AC Milan player scored 33 goals in 87 international appearances, but the U.S. hardly missed him, as they dominated the Socceroos in Seattle to clinch a round of 32 berth with a game to spare. 

Even the other three Concacaf nations have been punching above their weight. Panama was sunk by Ghana courtesy of a late injury-time goal, Haiti held its own in a loss against Scotland, while Curaçao briefly put a scare into Germany before ultimately coming out on the wrong end of a heavy loss. 

The real Brazil shows up

Nobody’s fan base is more demanding and harder to please in international soccer than Brazil’s.

Results matter at the end of the day. Of course they do. But it’s never enough for the Seleção to simply win — they must also win in style and entertain their supporters in the process. It’s a heavy burden, but it’s the price you pay when you win five World Cups (more than any other nation) and are considered the spiritual caretakers of the beautiful game.

We saw scant evidence of that Brazil in its opening match, a disappointing (by their lofty standards) draw with Morocco. The real Brazil showed up on Friday in Philadelphia, reminding everybody that it is far from a spent force.

Pity poor Haiti. It never stood a chance in this one. They played the Washington Generals to Brazil’s Harlem Globetrotters, and were down by three goals after 45 minutes thanks to a pair of goals from Matheus Cunha and another from Vinícius Júnior. 

The South Americans took their foot off the gas in the second half, otherwise the damage could have been much worse for Haiti, which became the first team to be eliminated from contention at the World Cup.

Morocco’s moment of brilliance 

Seventy-two seconds.  

That’s all it took for Morocco’s Ismael Saibari to make an impression, leading his nation to an important win vs. Scotland in Boston. There’s still lots to play for, but Morocco looks a good bet to qualify for the round of 32, as it looks to equal its final four showing from 2022 in Qatar. 

Scotland fell asleep at the wheel soon after kickoff, allowing Saibari to slip in behind the defence down the right and latch onto a ball played over the top from teammate Brahim Diaz. Saibari wasted no time, taking a quick touch inside the box before blasting his shot into the top left corner as Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn helplessly looked on. 

It was the fastest goal of this year’s World Cup and Saibari’s second, after he scored on a deft chip shot vs. Brazil in his team’s opener. He is also just the second African ‌player to ⁠score in his first two World Cup appearances. The other? None other than Egypt's Mohamed Salah. 

It was all Morocco after Saibari’s strike, as Scotland struggled to get a foothold in the game and spent much of the contest chasing shadows. The North Africans pressed and kept possession at will and could have easily added to their lead. But the one goal was enough, and now they look ahead to a group finale meeting with Haiti, which should be the easiest of their three games. 

QUOTE OF THE DAY 

“I want to be dangerous; I want to create opportunities. It might not always be myself that scores, but if I can force an error that gives us the lead, then for me it's like a goal as well. It was a special start to the game to give us the momentum.” – American striker Folarin Balogun, whose centring pass for a teammate led to an own-goal by Australia. 

STAT OF THE DAY 

Crystal Palace centre back Chris Richards has been a model of consistency in helping the United States effectively build out from the back through its first two group stage games. 

FANS OF THE DAY 

Scotland’s supporters sure know how to have a good time, no matter where they go. 

 THREE STARS OF THE DAY 

1. Matheus Cunha (Brazil): The Manchester United forward took centre stage for the Brazilians, scoring a brace as part of the Brazilian first-half performance that was simply mesmerizing.

2. Alex Freeman (United States): The American defender scored the goal that sealed the win for the co-hosts. He was also a defensive juggernaut with five clearances, four tackles and two interceptions. 
3. Folarin Balogun (United States): It was his probing run that resulted in an own goal by Australia to give his side the lead. He was a physical nuisance up front against the Aussies’ defenders.