Matthew Leckie and Nishan Velupillay were both surprise selections from the start for the Socceroos, especially given they replaced the two goalscorers from the 2-0 victory over Turkey, Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe.
Both didn’t play the full 90, and the dropped pair were summoned off the bench to start the second half.
Instead of regretting the decision to start Irankunda and Metcalfe, Popovic doubled down in his post-match press conference, suggesting he should have made more changes to his lineup in what was an intense game for the Socceroos.
Speaking to Flashscore, and assorted media, he said: “We didn’t want to go with the same XI, and you can see why today, we probably should have made more.
“We knew it would be a difficult match, we know the power that the US has… We wanted some freshness in those wider areas and that allowed us to put on the more explosive players on in the second half."
He added: “We were slow to every ball and we couldn’t wrestle back any momentum (in the first half). That made it difficult, we conceded a couple of soft goals, and we looked flat and lethargic in the first half.”
'Encouraging' second half
It didn’t make too much difference in the end. Despite their efforts and an improved second-half display, Australia were unable to break down a stubborn US side, leaving them needing to avoid defeat against Paraguay on the final day to all but secure qualification to the round of 32.
Two other players will be pushing to start that game, having made effective cameos in the loss. Cristian Volpato on his competitive debut for Australia, was tricky on the wing, whilst Jackson Irvine - Australia’s usual talisman - looked lively with his runs from deep.
Popovic said: “Overall, we entered the box more than they did, maybe it was a bit too much to make up in the second half. I thought the players did well, who came on. They made a really good impact.”
The second half was a marked improvement from the Socceroos, with more shots on goal as the US took their foot off the gas.
Popovic was encouraged by that display, explaining: “It’s easy to look at the players who came on, but the players who came back on in the second half were very impressive. They made a reaction from the first half, they were able to put that behind them and really step up the tempo, step up their quality, but unfortunately, the first half was a little bit too much for us.”
Australia remain on three points heading into their final Group D clash with Paraguay, who play later tonight against Turkey.
Check out the match report from the game with Flashscore.
Josh Donaldson is a Global Senior Editor and International Football Specialist for Flashscore. From the UK, now living in Prague, Josh specialises in football and cycling and can be found at an obscure ground watching games or on his bike. You can follow Josh on X and read his articles here.
