By admin 
The opening two weeks of the World Cup could not have gone better for the United States.
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The host nation on Friday night clinched a win in Group D thanks to their 2-0 win over Australia on Friday afternoon in Seattle, paired with the result of Paraguay-Turkey nightcap at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
The U.S. men’s national team won its group as early as it could have, with Friday’s victory following a 4-1 triumph over Paraguay in the group stage opener. It marks the third time the U.S. has won its group in World Cup history (1930 and 2010).
Earning the top spot in Group D means the U.S. will play a game in the knockout Round of 32 at Levi’s Stadium on July 1, and their third group stage match against Turkey next Thursday in Inglewood will be largely meaningless. It also gives star winger Christian Pulisic more time to recover after missing Friday’s victory with a left calf injury.
The U.S. came into the tournament with mixed expectations while having arguably the most talented team in modern history. Aside from a third-place finish in 1930, American fans have only seen their team advance beyond the Round of 16 only in 2002.
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As winners of the group in the new 48-team format, the Americans will play a third-place finisher from groups B, E, F, I or J. FIFA expanded the field from 32 teams to 48 for this World Cup, with eight third-place teams from group play advance to the knockout stage.
Aside from their win over Australia, the U.S. needed Paraguay to tie or beat Turkey in the 8 p.m. game to clinch the group. Paraguay earned a 1-0 win, with the game’s first and only goal just 65 seconds into the match from Matias Galarza, who plays domestically for Atlanta United FC of the MLS. It was the fastest of the World Cup so far.
Paraguay held on for the win despite being down to 10 men for the second half when midfielder Milguel Almiron was given a red card in the 48th minute for covering his mouth while in a confrontation with an opponent.
It was part of a new rule that was implemented before the World Cup designed to prevent abusive or racist remarks. The rule stemmed from an incident between Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior and Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni in February. Almiron was the first player given a red card under the new rule in the World Cup.