World Cup: US wins Group D, setting up possible return to Seattle

The United States men’s national team’s first-ever World Cup match in Seattle was a rousing success, with the Americans cruising past Australia 2-0 on Friday afternoon in front of a roaring crowd of 66,925 fans at sun-drenched Seattle Stadium/Lumen Field.

And now, an even bigger U.S. match could be coming to the Emerald City in just over two weeks.

Photo gallery: US beats Australia 2-0 at World Cup in Seattle

With the Americans’ win over Australia and Paraguay’s 1-0 triumph over Turkey later on Friday night, the U.S. clinched a first-place finish atop Group D. That locks in their potential path through the 32-team knockout stage of the tournament – a path that could include a round-of-16 match in Seattle on Monday, July 6, at 5 p.m.

The U.S. will play its round-of-32 match against a third-place team from Group B, E, F, I or J on July 1 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. According to The Athletic’s World Cup forecast, the Americans’ most likely opponents for that match are currently either Bosnia-Herzegovina or Qatar.

And if the Americans win that round-of-32 match, they would return to Seattle for the round of 16 – with a chance to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.

World Cup knockout stage bracket

The possibility of the Americans playing a knockout stage match in Seattle has sent ticket prices skyrocketing over the past 24 hours. As of Saturday morning, the get-in price for Seattle’s round-of-16 match was $3,204, according to TicketData.com. The get-in price was $2,160 on Friday morning and under $1,000 in early June.

It’s possible that Seattle’s round-of-16 match could feature a rematch between the U.S. and Belgium. The two sides met in the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with Belgium prevailing 2-1 in extra time.

If the U.S. were to advance out of the round of 16, its quarterfinal match would be at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on July 10.

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