The streak is over, but the optimism remains. For the first time under Tony Popovic, the Socceroos have had their colours lowered. Though the 2-1 defeat to the United States will sting, more crucial steps forward were taken by his ever-evolving team.
A sensational individual effort from Jordan Bos was cancelled out by a pair of strikes from Coventry City’s Haji Wright, either side of half-time on Wednesday (AEDT), bringing to an end Australia’s seven-game winning streak and 11-game unbeaten run under Popovic.
The good news, if you can call it that, is that both goals conceded were preventable. It wasn’t as if the USA carved them open at will. They were the result of momentary switch-offs, the likes of which the Socceroos rarely have under Popovic – particularly the second, which came after a contentious free kick was taken quickly, catching their defence on the hop, just seven minutes after half-time.
And while they couldn’t find an equaliser, the search was conducted in an encouraging manner. In the second half, they generated eight shots to the USA’s four; with some better finishing, a draw or better was eminently possible.
All in all, not a bad effort for a group still coming to terms with the demands of not only international football, but Popovic’s elite demands – and against a side ranked No.16 in the world, featuring many players seeing regular minutes at top European clubs.
“In terms of the result, it’s not what we wanted,” said skipper Maty Ryan. “But within the performance, there was lots of positives to take – and the boss wanted to make sure that that message was clear also.”
This is an Australian side with a level of attacking weaponry unseen since the days of the golden generation. The sheer dynamism of bustling wing-back Bos, who created his 19th-minute goal from basically nothing, and the electricity of Nestory Irankunda, a second-half substitute, will be a handful for any opposition trying to contain them on the counter-attack.
The way Popovic’s attacking players executed their high press troubled the Americans – but, in turn, his players, particularly the younger ones, were troubled by the high-altitude conditions, which left them gasping for air and unable to repeat their efforts as they ordinarily would.
For a beaten manager, Popovic was upbeat in his post-match press conference, describing the performance as better than the one that delivered victory over Canada at the weekend, coming against an even better side.
With only four days to acclimatise to the conditions after travelling from Montreal, the experience will hold them in good stead should they be exposed to the same thing in 2026.
“Really good learning curve for us,” Popovic said.
“We’ve learned that we will be competitive, and we can compete. We went out there with a real positive mindset, and I thought the players showed a lot of bravery, and they were really courageous at times on the ball to try and play through them and created some good moments.”
Elsewhere, this window marked the discovery of another strong World Cup option in Jacob Italiano, the Austria-based right-back who was a late inclusion in Popovic’s squad but started both games, and more than held his own.
“Hopefully there’s a lot more to come,” Popovic said.
Nick D’Agostino, who has struggled for game time with his club in Norway, also threw himself about up front in his usual battering ram style. Mohamed Toure is the clubhouse leader as the Socceroos’ top striker, but the race to be his back-up is hotting up, putting pressure on veteran Mitch Duke, who came on late for his 50th cap, but too late to affect the game.
The Socceroos don’t yet have opponents lined up for next month’s window, the final one of 2026. A trip to India to face Argentina – and, according to reports, perhaps even Iran, for the first time since that game in 1997 – is a possibility, albeit one that depends on the third-party promoters trying to make it happen. A return home is another option.
Wins are critical to boost Australia’s chances of sneaking into pot two and potentially securing a more favourable draw for the World Cup. But Popovic has no interest in sacrificing the sort of preparation he wants for his team for the sake of chasing ranking points, and signalled match announcements would be made next week.
“That’s not our focus,” he said. “Our focus is being tested and challenged.”
Following that, the Socceroos have only one more opportunity, in March, to try things out before their pre-World Cup camp and the unveiling of Popovic’s squad for the tournament.
There are still plenty of questions to be answered, but the plan is coming together.