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Socceroos vs USA 2026 World Cup match thread 🇦🇺 🇺🇸

booney52 said:
Italiano will probably be marking Pulisic if the latter is fit and he gave the Paraguayan RB a real bath.TBF the RB got a very early yellow card and Pulisic took full advantage of this by taking him on at every opportunity.
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I don't think Pulisic plays.

He took a knock in the middle of the ball of his calf while it was holding his whole weight. This will hurt his acceleration and his change of direction. Without that his utility is severely compromised. Given their good start I would think that Poch will rest him until the knockout stages.
 
German referee Felix Zwayer will officiate the game. I really like him. He gets a a bad wrap from Dortmund fans for some calls he's made over the years. I guess he could make a tough call that doesn't go our way. If I remember correctly he doesn't mind aggravating the home side.
 
We play first but what result do we even want from Turkey Paraguay? If we avoid defeat then we'd like that game to have a winner I think so we're guaranteed 3rd. Highly unlikely but imagine a flip of

Paraguay 6
USA 4
Australia 4
Turkey 3
 
patjennings said:
I don't think Pulisic plays.

He took a knock in the middle of the ball of his calf while it was holding his whole weight. This will hurt his acceleration and his change of direction. Without that his utility is severely compromised. Given their good start I would think that Poch will rest him until the knockout stages.
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I hope you are right .
 
JS96 said:
Given Metcalfe supported Italiano so well, I'd put Metcalfe at RWB and then have Devlin start and assist him. Perhaps Behich starting and Bos further up could work. Maybe start Bos at RWB and then the USA will have to be wary of that side.

I just don't have faith in Hrustic to fight.
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I don't think Behich brings his forward player into games well. He likes to run into the space that Bos would want to operate in.

The forward facing passing game we played against Turkey was part of what kept us in it. If we go back to a negative, defensive sort of play we will be ineffective coming forward and the US will have time and space we can't afford to give them.

Behich was lively and helped us stay fresh defensively when he came on. I don't want him in behind Bos preventing Bos from making runs and receiving the ball.

Bos should be fairly fresh against the US. He was probably targetted in numbers by Turkey to stop him making his usual runs which opened up space elsewhere for us - which should leave petrol in his tank for this game.

Our right back is going to have to be supported and I don't know how we can do that without bringing players back and being less effective coming back forward.

I can see us setting up deep and slipping back into the poorer form of Popaball.

All that said, we have a win and 3 points, and if the US beats everyone then the game is a free shot - so I expect Popa to make changes and stay 'open' to positive football combined with the dour defensive style. How dumb am I :)

Geria will start at RWB, Herrington will play as a third DM alongside O'Neill with Okon slightly more forward, Ryan will step back into goals with Beach, and we will choose to play with an eggshaped ball in a fine example of Popa surprise tactics.

I have no idea what our team will look like this game after the tiring effort last week. If Italiano has legs still I can see him starting and playing half a game before being switched out. He earned that with the speed of his close defensive movement against the constant stream of attacks last game. He did get beaten at times, but he shut down so much more with really good, quick stop/start action that I don't think our other options at RWB can. Like trying to get past a kelpie.
 
zimbos05 said:
I've never wanted to win a World Cup game more than this one.
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Ever since the draw came out, this was the one i wanted more than anything. And I am pretty confident.

JS96 said:
We play first but what result do we even want from Turkey Paraguay? If we avoid defeat then we'd like that game to have a winner I think so we're guaranteed 3rd.
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If we beat the USA and Paraguay fails to beat Turkey, we win the group with a game to go. I am reliably informed head to head is now the tiebreaker above goal difference.
 
Robbos said:
The way Poppa plays his football, the knives will be out when he fails. Al least with Ange we can say we lost, but geez we got entertained, with Poppa, when we lose all hell will break out.
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Am not a fan coming into the Asian cup as one of the "stronger" nations but we are stuck with Popa's way and have to back it, and who knows maybe we will surpass all WC expectations with the addition of becoming more dangerous from a set piece.
 
FeedTheBrox said:
If we beat the USA and Paraguay fails to beat Turkey, we win the group with a game to go. I am reliably informed head to head is now the tiebreaker above goal difference.
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Even if we draw against the United States and Paraguay also drop points against Turkey we can still top the group on the last matchday of the group stage if we get the job done over Paraguay and the United States drop points against Turkey.
 
Can we beat the Americans on Saturday. One guy that knows how to humble a cocky Yank is John Bertrand of Americas Cup fame who says he would tell our boys to ''forget about the consequences of winning or losing'', instead to "zero in purely on the job at hand, have total trust among each other" and above all "enjoy the experience and play with freedom''. The same play book Bertrand used to take down Dennis Connor and the arrogant New York Yacht Club off Newport, Rhode Island four decades ago.

Did you know that in public the Aussies referred to NYYC's Liberty as 'that red boat' as part of the psychological battle being waged between both sides and that one of the enemy's dirty tricks was to plant a mole in the Aussie camp to try to find out about our secret winged keel.
 
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RIMB said:
I don't think Behich brings his forward player into games well. He likes to run into the space that Bos would want to operate in.

The forward facing passing game we played against Turkey was part of what kept us in it. If we go back to a negative, defensive sort of play we will be ineffective coming forward and the US will have time and space we can't afford to give them.

Behich was lively and helped us stay fresh defensively when he came on. I don't want him in behind Bos preventing Bos from making runs and receiving the ball.

Bos should be fairly fresh against the US. He was probably targetted in numbers by Turkey to stop him making his usual runs which opened up space elsewhere for us - which should leave petrol in his tank for this game.

Our right back is going to have to be supported and I don't know how we can do that without bringing players back and being less effective coming back forward.

I can see us setting up deep and slipping back into the poorer form of Popaball.

All that said, we have a win and 3 points, and if the US beats everyone then the game is a free shot - so I expect Popa to make changes and stay 'open' to positive football combined with the dour defensive style. How dumb am I :)

Geria will start at RWB, Herrington will play as a third DM alongside O'Neill with Okon slightly more forward, Ryan will step back into goals with Beach, and we will choose to play with an eggshaped ball in a fine example of Popa surprise tactics.

I have no idea what our team will look like this game after the tiring effort last week. If Italiano has legs still I can see him starting and playing half a game before being switched out. He earned that with the speed of his close defensive movement against the constant stream of attacks last game. He did get beaten at times, but he shut down so much more with really good, quick stop/start action that I don't think our other options at RWB can. Like trying to get past a kelpie.
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I've rewatched the game twice, Bos not only had Irankunda on the left-side with him which prevents his runs forward but he was very timid going forwards. Multiple times he didn't make a run or when he was dribbling forward didn't play Irankunda in or go forward and instead passed backwards or sideways. Clearly he was afraid of making a mistake or turning the ball-over but there were two distinct occasions I remember where Bos could've made a run or played Irankunda through but didn't. Two plays he usually makes as well.

Italiano was pinned in defence the whole game. Even when we were counter-attacking the right side was no where to be seen. I remember one time he was making a run on the right and we turned the ball over and they played it down the right side where Italiano defends and Circati and Souttar had to come across.

If I'm Popa, I'm just getting Bos, Irankunda and Toure to run at our defence every day in training for a bit and to learn each others tendencies and movements, pass between each other and try to find an opening. They've only played a couple times together as a three and usually only for 10 minutes or so. They've never started all at the same time and didn't play all at the same time in either the Switzerland or Mexico friendly. They're really are our whole counter-attack so they need to be more efficient and stop turning it over with poor play.

Over the years, they will become pretty lethal though.
 
Bbouy said:
I've rewatched the game twice, Bos not only had Irankunda on the left-side with him which prevents his runs forward but he was very timid going forwards. Multiple times he didn't make a run or when he was dribbling forward didn't play Irankunda in or go forward and instead passed backwards or sideways. Clearly he was afraid of making a mistake or turning the ball-over but there were two distinct occasions I remember where Bos could've made a run or played Irankunda through but didn't. Two plays he usually makes as well.

Italiano was pinned in defence the whole game. Even when we were counter-attacking the right side was no where to be seen. I remember one time he was making a run on the right and we turned the ball over and they played it down the right side where Italiano defends and Circati and Souttar had to come across.

If I'm Popa, I'm just getting Bos, Irankunda and Toure to run at our defence every day in training for a bit and to learn each others tendencies and movements, pass between each other and try to find an opening. They've only played a couple times together as a three and usually only for 10 minutes or so. They've never started all at the same time and didn't play all at the same time in either the Switzerland or Mexico friendly. They're really are our whole counter-attack so they need to be more efficient and stop turning it over with poor play.

Over the years, they will become pretty lethal though.
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I wonder if Bos had the breaks on him a bit with coach instructions. Turkey are potentially lethal left or right if you don't get the defence right.
 
Quicky said:
I wonder if Bos had the breaks on him a bit with coach instructions. Turkey are potentially lethal left or right if you don't get the defence right.
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Maybe trying to defend over attack but when we did have a break, Bos wasn't progressing the ball a few times instead passed backwards. One vital moment where Irankunda was running and would've had a strong chance to score and Bos saw him and didn't play him.
 
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