The vibes surrounding the U.S Men’s National Team could not be higher after its 4-1 victory over Paraguay in the Group D opener, but a much bigger test awaits the Americans today as they clash with Australia.
Australia scored the first major upset in Group D play with a 2-0 victory over Turkiye, which sets up today’s matchup at Lumen Field in Seattle as a chance for either team to put themselves in pole position to win the group.
The time for simply riding the emotion of a home World Cup is over, it’s time for the USMNT to start turning its World Cup dreams into reality.
For all of your World Cup betting picks, here are tonight’s TST Best Bets brought to you by BetOnline.ag. Click here to join. All new players get a 50% welcome bonus and up to $250 in free bets.
First Pick: U.S ML (-165) over Australia
Rundown: The optimism surrounding the USMNT’s World Cup chances has only blossomed after its dominant win over Paraguay, which outside of an injury to Christian Pulisic, showed U.S fans a bit of everything they wanted to see.
The U.S had more than double the accurate passes than Paraguay, held possession for 65% of the match and saw forward Folarin Balogun step up in Pulisic’s absence with two goals.
While the Socceroos’ opening Group Stage win was impressive given the quality of opponent, the formula behind their victory over Turkiye feels far less repeatable.
Australia was out-possessed 72% to 28%, gave up more shots on goal and needed eight absolutely clutch saves from goalkeeper Patrick Beach to keep Turkiye scoreless.
The Socceroos allowed 1.36 expected goals against Turkiye, which is likely much closer to what they will allow to the USMNT instead of the shutout they posted in their opener.
The U.S has already shown its offensive potential is higher than any American team we’ve seen in recent history, posting four goals in a World Cup match for the first time since 1930.
Expect a decisive victory for the Americans here, as their offense continues to impress.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Jun 12, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie (8) moves the ball against Paraguay in the second half during a Group D match in the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Los Angeles Stadium.
Second Pick: U.S vs. Australia – Over 2.5 goals
Rundown: Australia’s defense may be getting too much credit after its opening shutout, but expect that perception to change against a U.S. attack that has already shown it can overwhelm opponents.
The USMNT ended with 17 shots and six on goal against Paraguay, and that was without Pulisic for one half of the match.
Pulisic suiting up would only strengthen this over bet, but the USMNT has already shown enough attacking depth to trust its offense even without its star winger.
