Australia vs USA: Popovic Admits Lineup Mistake, Targets Paraguay Must-Win

Popovic admits team selection error after Australia’s loss 

After Australia fell 2-0 to USA, Popovic took blame for lineup choices and dropped Irankunda + Metcalfe. Improved second half not enough as Socceroos face Paraguay in final group game.

Socceroos Boss Popovic, ‘should have picked different team’ vs USA...

Socceroos boss Tony Popovic says his team selection played a big role in Australia’s 2-0 defeat to the USA. He called the first-half performance “lethargic” and admitted he should have picked differently.

Popovic’s starting XI raised eyebrows with Matthew Leckie and Nishan Velupillay both getting surprise starts. They came in for Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe, the pair who scored in Australia’s 2-0 win over Turkey.

Neither Leckie nor Velupillay lasted the full 90 minutes. Irankunda and Metcalfe, the players they replaced, came off the bench to start the second half.

Popovic didn’t regret starting Irankunda and Metcalfe against Turkey. In his post-match press conference he doubled down, saying he should have changed even more of his lineup for the demanding match against the USA.

Speaking to 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.”

Socceroos Face Must-Not-Lose Game vs Paraguay

The changes didn’t swing the result. Even with more energy after halftime, Australia couldn’t break through the USA’s tight defense. Now they must avoid losing to Paraguay on the last day to all but lock up a spot in the round of 32.

Two substitutes staked a claim for starts against Paraguay. Cristian Volpato impressed on his competitive Socceroos debut with tricky wing play, and Jackson Irvine, usually Australia’s main man, looked sharp making 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.”

Australia looked much sharper after halftime, creating more chances as the USA eased off.

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 stay on 3 points going into their last Group D match against Paraguay, who face Turkey later tonight.