ESPN’s Taylor Twellman: How the USMNT Can Keep Momentum Rolling vs Australia

Was the United States men's win over Paraguay the greatest performance in program history? Taylor Twellman's verdict: if it's not 1A, it's 1B.

His holdout for the top spot is still Portugal in 2002, the 3-0 lead built on Figo and Ronaldo, but he argued against himself. That game happened at four or five in the morning with little public attention and none of the runway the 2026 home World Cup has had. More than that, the U.S. men had spent three and a half years being called anemic, getting in their own way, with coaches and players' parents feuding after 2022. Almost nothing positive had surrounded the team since. So the magnitude of delivering that performance, knowing how many eyeballs were on it, is why Twellman thinks it might be the best. The so-called golden generation finally gave a performance that matched the occasion, something he said the men, unlike the women, have managed barely a handful of times.

The Gio Reyna goal carried extra weight. It came off 23 touches, finished with the outside of his right foot, and was cathartic given that 2022 was defined by Reyna and his parents clashing with Gregg Berhalter. Mauricio Pochettino sprinted roughly 55 yards to celebrate, and Twellman said that's who Reyna can and should be.

But Twellman pushed the point further: that has to be the standard, not the score line but the swagger, movement, energy, and ability to dictate against an opponent that gave up only six goals in qualifying against Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Uruguay. The U.S. dictated rather than reacted, and to him that was more impressive than the four goals.

How repeatable is it against Australia on Friday? Very, Twellman said, though Australia presents a different threat. They have two attackers who can flat-out burn, they'll defend with seven behind the ball, and they'll be pragmatic and dangerous on the counter. That tests Tim Ream athletically and makes Chris Richards's leadership at center back valuable. Pulisic was unplayable in the first 45 minutes against Paraguay without even needing the ball, and with Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie alongside him, Twellman's prescription was an oxymoron that works: be patient but chaotic, willing to wait 40 minutes for a chance while creating enough urgency that Australia can't simply sit behind the ball.