The USMNT laid down a marker with a 4-1 thrashing of Paraguay in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
As Mauricio Pochettino’s side now prepares to face Australia in its second group stage game, Dave Portnoy is anticipating a surprising outcome.
Dave Portnoy Shares Bold Prediction on USMNT’s World Cup Run
The emphatic win over Paraguay has USMNT fans feeling confident about the nation’s chances of a deep World Cup run. However, Australia could pose a much tougher challenge for the United States after claiming an impressive 2-0 win over Türkiye in their World Cup opener.
Despite Australia’s impressive win over Türkiye, Portnoy does not think the Socceroos stand a chance against the in-form USMNT.
“This is a Dave Portnoy guarantee. We are going to smash the Australians,” the Barstool Sports founder and CEO said on the ‘Wake Up Bartsool’ podcast on Monday.
“This is a Dave Portnoy guarantee.. we are going to smash the Australians.” – @stoolpresidente #WorldCup
(Dave is also wondering what happened to Freddy Adu) pic.twitter.com/uLYBnViAGD
— Wake Up Barstool (@wakeupbarstool) June 15, 2026
Portnoy shared his confident prediction after the United States comfortably dispatched a talented Paraguay team thanks to a brace from Folarin Balogun and a stunning finish from Giovanni Reyna.
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The USMNT will face Australia on Friday at the Seattle Stadium, and the winner of that game will secure its berth in the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with one round of matches to spare.
The resilient Australian defense will undoubtedly look to make things difficult for the United States on Friday. Led by strong performances from center-back Harry Souttar and goalkeeper Patrick Beach, Australia kept the talented Türkiye trio of Arda Güler, Barış Yılmaz, and Kenan Yıldız at bay in their opener.
Despite having just 31% of the possession and facing 30 shots against Türkiye, the stubborn Australian defense held firm. On the other end of the pitch, Nestory Irankunda caused the Türkiye defenders all sorts of problems with his pace on the counter-attack.
The USMNT forward line could face a similarly defensive-minded Australia team on Friday. But it will be up to Christian Pulisic, Sergiño Dest, Balogun, and co. to find a way past the resilient Australians.
The importance of Friday’s clash is underlined by the fact that the winning team will all but secure top spot in Group D.
The team that finishes top in Group D will face one of the third-place finishers in the Round of 32. The runner-up will face the runner-up from Group G, which could mean a clash with powerhouses Belgium or Egypt.
