Kasey Keller backs USMNT to beat Australia but warns Pochettino's side still lacks consistency

Kasey Keller, the United States men’s national team’s all-time record holder for clean sheets, believes the USMNT should enter Friday’s World Cup 2026 Group C clash against Australia in Seattle as favourites — but has sounded a clear warning about the side’s inability to string consistent performances together under Mauricio Pochettino.

Asked to rate his gut feeling on a scale of one to ten following the USMNT’s 4-1 demolition of Paraguay, Keller did not hesitate. “11,” he replied, describing the display as arguably the finest in American football history. Yet even that level of optimism came with a caveat.

“I think the US is better than Australia, but Turkey was clearly better than Australia and lost,” Keller said. “There’s something about a team that knows how to defend, knows how to suffer, but then also has the physical capabilities of hitting you when you get frustrated.”

Australia arrived at the tournament with momentum, having beaten group favourites Turkey 2-0 with a disciplined, counter-attacking display. Keller acknowledged the Socceroos’ structure poses a genuine threat, but argued that Paraguay — a side with a superior pre-tournament rating — deployed a similar defensive blueprint and were comfortably picked apart by the US.

“Paraguay was exactly that, and this is the same kind of, but only better than Australia,” he said. The concern, Keller stressed, is not the opposition but the USMNT themselves. “I haven’t seen the US repeat strong performances under Pochettino. We’re talking about that inconsistency. I haven’t seen them be able to replicate performances.”

Keller also weighed in on Pochettino’s decision to start NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese — the first domestically based keeper to start for the national side in a generation. The manager had been deliberately vague about his selection in the build-up to the tournament, but Keller said he was never convinced it was a genuine competition.

“I think if it really was an open competition, then he would have given [Matt] Turner more opportunities, he would have given Jonathan Klinsmann a match or two before his injury,” Keller noted. “There was so much change in lineups throughout that process, except for Matt Freese, and so somehow that decision had been made at one point.”

Keller, who represented the United States at four World Cups between 1990 and 2006, suggested Pochettino could have managed the situation more openly rather than allowing speculation to linger throughout the qualifying period.