Key takeaways from USMNT's hard-fought win over Australia in Colorado

Chris Richards was right: It's not always pretty.

If you want to make a deep run in the World Cup, you have to beat breathtakingly talented teams. Everyone knows that. But you have to beat some real stinkers too, and the USMNT proved that it can still find ways to win even when its opponent is more interested in fighting than playing. This match was ugly — attritional, aggressive and stilted from the start, with Australia sometimes dropping as many as 10 players into its penalty box — but still, the USMNT found a way through. 

The last time it faced a team like this was in March, when it played Panama in the semifinals of the Concacaf Nations League. The USMNT lost that match — and deservedly so. It couldn't break Panama down and allowed its frustration to get the better of it. While this win against Australia won't go down in the history books as a glorious USMNT performance, it is a wonderful sign that the team has fixed what sank it earlier in the year. Pretty? No. not at all. Necessary? You bet.

Christian Pulisic may be a talisman, but he never should've started this match

Pulisic was only on the field for 30 minutes, but he had a rough, rough night all the same. Recovering from an injury and clearly not at his best, Pulisic struggled to impose himself on the match and failed to work with his teammates. When he limped off after a particularly nasty Australia challenge and gave his spot up to Diego Luna, the team immediately brightened and improved. Tellingly, it even improved before Luna took the field, when the USMNT was still down to 10 men. That was how bad Pulisic's start was: The team looked better a man down than it did with him in it.

None of this is Pulisic's fault, exactly; he clearly wasn't fit and probably shouldn't have been in the starting 11 to begin with. But it does beg the question: Why did head coach Mauricio Pochettino select him anyway? It was a bizarre choice and one that left many wondering just how well the two are communicating behind the scenes.

Cristian Roldan is delivering on his promises

Seattle Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan was open with the media about what he wanted to work on in the USMNT's new five-defender system: intensity and aggression. 

"In the game against Japan, you saw how aggressive Tyler [Adams] and I were, pressing higher up the field, supporting our front three," he said. "In a five, you're much more aggressive, much more man-oriented."

Roldan fit nicely into that role in the USMNT's 2-0 win over Japan in September, but he admitted he had a few wrinkles left to iron out. He knew he was capable of fewer turnovers and more progressive passes. In Tuesday's match against Australia, he ironed those wrinkles out perfectly. Roldan was everywhere, especially in the final third; he provided two assists and quickly became the team's secret weapon in build-up play. 

Haji Wright still has something to say

Striker Folarin Balogun's scene-stealing performance against Ecuador left much of the American soccer fandom calling for him to start every game...but Pochettino, in a bold move that rankled many, decided to start Coventry City striker Haji Wright instead. 

Wright has been a confounding player for the USMNT. He's had brilliant performances while wearing the crest but has also been largely absent in moments when the team needed him most. Tuesday, Wright tuned out the noise, leaned into his strengths and delivered one of the finest performances of his USMNT career. After years of wondering who could possibly start in a striker position, the USMNT now has two solid candidates for the job.

The USMNT will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 15 against Paraguay in Chester, Pennsylvania.