The U.S. was missing its World Cup star. It didn’t miss a beat.

Missing its playmaking star and facing an Australian team that had frustrated it only seven months earlier, the U.S. had all the elements of a World Cup letdown Friday

Missing its playmaking star and facing an Australian team that had frustrated it only seven months earlier, the U.S. had all the elements of a World Cup letdown Friday.

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Instead, the U.S. won again, made more history (again) and became one of the first teams to secure a place in the tournament’s knockout stage.

No Christian Pulisic? No problem — for now.