Australia may have lost their World Cup warm-up match to Mexico 1-0, but with just two weeks until their first match of the tournament against Turkey, the Socceroos appear to have found something more important: confidence.
A second-half turnaround against Fifa’s 15th-ranked side almost secured a draw for the Socceroos, who had three good chances to equalise on Saturday night in California. Despite a conservative approach, Tony Popovic’s side showed resilience and increasing positivity as they took the game to the World Cup co-hosts and 78,479 mostly green-clad fans who filled the Rose Bowl Stadium.
The defeat is a reminder, however, there will be little room for error at the World Cup for an Australian side featuring few elite talents. It also heightens pressure on Popovic to get the selection right for his squad, which is due to be announced on Monday.
Against Mexico, there was no first Socceroos appearance for Cristian Volpato after the weekend shock of his switch of allegiance. The late call-up was left out of the squad, alongside forwards Brandon Borrello and Tete Yengi and goalkeeper Joe Gauci, adding intrigue as Popovic prepares to make his final four cuts.
Defender Harry Souttar – who played the entire match – said he didn’t want to celebrate his own selection yet, and it will be cruel on whoever is left out. “There’ll be a few disappointed boys going to miss out on it, which is obviously a tough thing,” he told Paramount+.
