World Cup ecstasy turned to misery for the Socceroos on Saturday as bitter rivals the United States clinched a 2-0 win in the Seattle sunshine.
Australia was caught napping early to relinquish control of the game to the host side, who never truly let its grip slip in a at-times feisty affair.
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Nonetheless, the switch did flip in the second half, ensuring that the Socceroos would maintain some good feeling heading into its final Group D game against Paraguay on Friday.
It all could come down to whether coach Tony Popovic pulls the right reins this time, having wiped out his game one masterstroke with some curious calls in game two.
Scroll down for the Talking Points to come out of the Socceroos’ loss to the USA.
FULL 2026 WORLD CUP SCHEDULE WITH AUSTRALIAN TIMES AND DATES
MATCH WRAP: Blunder cruels fiery ‘Roos fightback; Volpato sends statement in bizarre WC scenes
PLAYER RATINGS: Shock Popa changes fall flat as USA run riot before Socceroos prodigy dazzles
‘HE WAS GUESSING’: Popa blows up at ref as ‘frustrated’ Aussies rue ‘soft’ calls
SCENARIOS: Who Socceroos can face in knockout stage & why they might’ve already qualified
UGLY SIDE OF POPA GAMBLES REARS HEAD
Lightning did not strike twice for Tony Popovic.
The Socceroos boss made every post a winner in the World Cup opener against Türkiye.
The surprise selections of Patrick Beach over Mat Ryan in goal and Paul Okon-Engstler over Jackson Irvine worked a treat despite pre-match concerns from Australian fans.
This time around, bleary eyed supporters held any reservations when the starting XI was announced without goalscorers from the Türkiye triumph Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe.
Veteran Mathew Leckie and Melbourne Victory youngster Neshan Velupillay came into the side in their place.
Popovic rolled the dice again but did not get the numbers he was looking for.
Leckie and Velupillay made minimal impact aside from one chance shortly before the first half drinks break where Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards just got in front of Velupillay to clear Leckie’s cross.
Not to be too harsh on the A-League pair — they had few opportunities as the Socceroos were stuck defending for the bulk of the opening 45 minutes. Irankunda and Metcalfe may have been able to do little about that either.
But the threat of Irankunda on the counter-attack may have at least been able to wrestle some of the momentum away from the hosts. The 20-year-old did exactly that against Türkiye with a spectacular opening goal on the counter after being played out the back by Okon-Engstler.
“I’m not sure why Popa kept Irankunda on the bench given that he was so brilliant in the first game,” former Socceroo Craig Foster told SBS. “And the importance of the game against Turkiye was we went one-nil up instead of one-nil down.
“That’s critical when you have a defensive style of play. So, you know, I think that decision has probably cost him. He’s come on now in the second half to try and chase the game again. That’s the most difficult position to be in.”
When Popovic brought Irankunda and Metcalfe on for Mohamed Toure and Velupillay as part of a triple change at the start of the second half the tide turned.
The pair were lively as Australia did the majority of the attacking and looked far more threatening.
Unfortunately, the damage was already done.
Sluggish starts have been all-too-common for the Socceroos under Popovic, and the problem reared its ugly head once again.
Australia’s back five was not as stable as it was against Türkiye with Cameron Burgess conceding an own goal to give USA the opener.
The pace of the USA troubled the Socceroos in the middle of the park and at the back.
Popovic lamented the early sluggishness after the final whistle, but Socceroos legend Harry Kewell was even more critical at half time.
“It’s not good enough. It feels like we’ve frozen on the big stage. There’s no fluidity, we’re on the back foot,” the former Liverpool forward said on SBS.
“The USA have obviously looked at how we played, they’ve changed slightly the formation and that’s just locked us in. And then we look panicky on the ball.
“We’re just getting the ball and kicking it long where Toure has had no chance.”
Former Ghana international Kevin-Prince Boateng agreed with Kewell.
He also took aim at the Socceroos’ defensive set up for the second goal, which was a little unlucky as Alex Freeman headed home after a deflection, and it only stood because of a contentious VAR interview.
“I don’t know what’s stopping them? Because you come to this game on the big stage, and again it’s very defensive. I see a very scared (team),” the former Tottenham, AC Milan and Barcelona midfielder said on SBS.
“And still, you have one or two chances where you can maybe be dangerous. Build up on that.
“This free kick for example, how is no one marking (Sergino) Dest? How is that possible? The defence must be the strongest, how can he be so free. I don’t understand, seriously.
“I said from the beginning we need fireworks. I’ve seen no fireworks from the Socceroos … something has to change.”
Hindsight is 20/20, but Popovic will surely be rueing his decisions at the selection table.
VOLPATO SPARK A GOOD SIGN
Australia got its first look at Cristian Volpato this World Cup in the final half an hour, and the nation liked what it saw.
The 22-year-old was the talk of Popovic’s squad announcement when he made the last-minute decision to change his allegiance from Italy to Australia.
The Sydney born and raised winger rejected Graham Arnold’s offer four years ago.
But this time around the Roma product, who now plies his trade for another Italian club in Sassuolo, committed to the green and gold and has shown that Australia has an impressive talent on its hands for the long-term.
Volpato came on for his second Socceroos appearance – he started and played a half against Switzerland in the final warm-up game – when Mathew Leckie went down with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.
It was a cruel blow for the veteran in his fourth World Cup, but it pathed the way for Volpato to make an instant impact.
The technically gifted talent played Nestory Irankunda through with his first touch.
He then got the ball back in the box after Irankunda’s eye-catching run forward but unfortunately blazed his shot over the bar.
Volpato really had to at least hit the target, but he looked threatening with every touch.
His dribbling is impressive and the American defenders were certainly sweating when he was on the ball.
Boateng really liked what he saw and said Popovic needs to unleash Volpato alongside Irankunda and Mohamed Toure.
“Volpato came in and showed so much skill,” he said on SBS.
“He was in between the lines, he created things, technically strong.
“Australia showed that there is so much potential. Just let them loose, let them play.
“It was beautiful to see the second half, but why not from the beginning?”
Socceroo legend Kewell did not call out Volpato explicitly.
But the former Liverpool forward’s view was that the positivity Volpato and Irankunda brought in the second half was exactly what Australia needs to bring for the full 90 minutes.
“I find it hard as a fan watching … I think we underestimate ourselves sometimes. I think when we actually got control of the game, and put it to the USA, we actually put them on the back foot,” Kewell said.
“They didn’t really have a reply, and I think we can take a lot of positives from that and hopefully in our next game we can continue this aggressive play that we showed in the second half.
“One of our strengths in the Australian squad we don’t utilise – we were a nation that have no fear. And we’ve got to let that come through to our squad. Especially in that second half, we allowed that to show. That’s what I want to see more of.”
WAS AUSTRALIA DUDDED?
Tony Popovic’s decision to berate referee Felix Zwayer after the final whistle showed that the Australians clearly felt hard done by.
The way the game was adjudicated did not decide the result.
But it certainly did not help the Socceroos’ cause.
USA’s opening goal, which came via an own goal from centre back Cameron Burgess, had nothing to do with the officials.
Their second was certainly contentious, however.
Alex Freeman’s header was initially ruled out for offside.
VAR then stepped in to show that it was Florian Balogun who was offside, not Freeman, and award the goal.
The only problem with that was that Balogun appeared to have impeded Australian goalkeeper Patrick Beach.
The explanation that the American striker had not impacted the play certainly did not cut it with the Australians.
“From what we understood, he probably impeded Beachy,” Socceroos assistant coach Paul Okon said in a half time interview.
Australians tore their hair out even more when Connor Metcalfe was clipped in the box when Irankunda and Volpato made a run into the penalty area off the back of the latter’s first touch of the game.
It was clearly accidental but Metcalfe, who scored the second goal against Türkiye, ended up on the turf and on another day, Australia may have had a penalty.
As the speed of the game slowed down in the later stages, the contest became more physical.
And it felt like the Socceroos were constantly protesting the referee’s decisions.
It seemed like any Australian challenge with a hint of physicality to it was penalised.
There was no better example than Irankunda being bodied by Richards on the edge of the box only for the referee to wave play on.
Irankunda did similar in an aerial battle moments later but the whistle was blown against the Watford attacker in a clear blunder.
“I think a few decisions were a bit soft,” former Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams said on SBS.
“But I mean it wasn’t the decisions of the ref that ultimately cost us the game at the end of the day.”
The clash was not as feisty as the friendly between the two sides in Colorado last October where the two teams engaged in argy bargy after some tackles that pushed the limits.
They pushed and shoved a few times in Seattle, but tensions could have easily boiled over if the Australians had not kept their cool.
Without getting himself in trouble, Popovic shared his frustrations post-game.
“I’m not sure on that one,” he said of the second goal.
“Unfortunately, that didn’t go our way.
“Today wasn’t the best day for the referee.
“We felt frustrated today with the referees.”
PARAGUAY CHANGES POPA MUST MAKE
For Australia’s final group game against Paraguay on Friday (12pm AEST), Popovic’s first move has surely become clear.
The exact scenario the Socceroos need to advance to the knockouts will become clear after Paraguay and Türkiye meet later on Sunday.
A win or draw will send Australia through, while three points could possibly still be enough to sneak into the next round as one of the better third-place teams, depending on tiebreakers.
Either way, the manager must get the front three in order.
“Toure, Irankunda, Volpato. That’s for me the front three (against Paraguay),” Boateng said on SBS.
“You have two threatening the space, while Volpato can come in the middle create something. He has the technique to play them in, to pass the ball through.
“Please Popovic if you can listen to us… we would love to see these three up top.
“I would have four (at the back). 4-5-1, that’s what I would start to have a little bit of overload in the midfield.”
Australian fans will be hoping that Boateng’s prayers are answered with that attacking combination.
But the Socceroos will be sweating on the fitness of Toure.
The Norwich goalscoring machine was subbed off for Irankunda at half time against the USA.
It was an eyebrow- raising move within many expecting Leckie to be the one to make way.
But reports from Seattle have since emerged that Toure took his time to reappear from the tunnel at the start of the second half and was limping.
He experienced cramp against Türkiye but concerningly had a calf issue earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Popovic is a gambler, but it is unlikely that he will deviate from his trusted back five.
That formula with three centre backs and two wing backs served Australia well throughout qualifying and against Türkiye.
The defensive focus with the ability to counter-attack is how Popovic likes to play, but the only man to play for and coach the Socceroos at a World Cup has a knack for pulling surprises.
He did so at the selection table for both World Cup matches so far.
And he may again to spark a response after he lamented a poor start against the USA.
“We looked sluggish, heavy-legged (in the first half),” he said to SBS.
“They won every second ball, and when you do that, it’s very difficult to get any gain any momentum.
“We conceded two soft goals, but I thought the reaction in the second half was outstanding.
“We did very well in the second half, we were very aggressive, we won all the duels.”
With Irankunda and Volpato at the heart of that second half resurgence, Popovic will surely give Boateng his wish.
WHERE IS OUR TEENAGE SENSATION?
Australians are still yet to see Lucas Herrington this World Cup.
The 18-year-old centre back made headlines on the eve of the tournament went a report from The Athletic linked him with Barcelona.
The Catalan giants reportedly had an opening bid rejected by his MLS club Colorado Rapids after they came to meet Herrington and his management in the US in April.
Media outlets in both the US and Spain reported that Barcelona’s initial offer was €10 million.
That came after a game against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami where Herrington provided an assist with an excellent long pass but was left disappointed as the Argentine legend shot past him to score the matchwinner.
The Athletic has since stated that Barcelona are not the only ones keeping an eye on the Brisbane Roar product.
In the build up to kick off against the USA, The Athletic’s Tom Bogert reported that Liverpool have already sent scouts to watch him in action.
With such high wraps, it is a touch surprising that Herrington did not grace the pitch against the Americans.
After starting every international since making his debut in the March window, the teenager was left out for Cameron Burgess against Türkiye.
That was no surprise.
Burgess came off the back of playing every minute of the Championship season for Swansea and offered another experienced head alongside Harry Souttar and Alessandro Circati.
Burgess then had a nightmare moment against the USA, conceding an own goal in the 11th minute to give the tournament co-hosts an early lead.
It led to him being hooked at half time by Popovic as part of a triple change.
Many assumed with Australia 2-0 down at the half that Popovic might pivot from his preferred back five and replace a defender with an attacking option.
Instead, the same shape remained, and Burgess was replaced by Jason Geria.
The 33-year-old, who plays for Japanese club Albirex Niigata, got the chance to make his World Cup debut, while Herrington remained on the bench.
It felt like a moment where Australia might have seen one of the nation’s most exciting talents.
Herrington certainly has a big future ahead of him, but many Australians fans would have loved to have seen him in the second half in Seattle.