Socceroos coach Tony Popovic plans to harness perceived arrogance from US pundits as motivation heading into the World Cup 2026 group stage clash against co-hosts the United States.
Firing Back at ‘Layup’ Label
Former US international Mike Grella labeled Australia a ‘layup’ for the Americans after the Socceroos drew into Group D. ‘Take nothing away from the Socceroos, they’ve always been competitive,’ Grella stated. ‘But they stumbled a little during qualifying and weren’t that impressive. This is an amazing first team to have for the US.’
Popovic responded to calls to silence overconfident American fans with a wry smile: ‘Yeah, that’s noted.’
He views underestimation as a familiar advantage. ‘We’ve always been underestimated,’ Popovic said. ‘Everyone expects us to be the team that no-one really concerns them about and we can use that.’
Recent Form and Match Preview
The teams last met in a tense October friendly in Denver, where the US edged Australia 2-1. ‘I thought we showed that we can compete with USA, I thought we did a good job in that game up until the last period,’ Popovic reflected.
US coach Mauricio Pochettino commands one of the highest salaries in world football at a reported $9 million annually. Bookmakers list Australia as $6 underdogs for the June 20 encounter at Seattle’s Lumen Field, with the hosts favored at $1.53.
Group D Challenges and Ambitions
The Socceroos face Paraguay and a European play-off winner in Group D alongside the US. ‘I feel that we’re more than competitive and I think we’ll definitely show that in all three games, against all three sides,’ Popovic affirmed.
Popovic dreams big for his side. ‘We’re not putting a ceiling on what we can achieve,’ he declared. ‘I’d love to see the day that we’re talking about Australia competing in the quarters, semi-finals.’
Instilling National Pride
A former Australia international with 58 caps, Popovic took over in 2024. He emphasizes recapturing the honor of national duty. ‘I want [senior players] to remember games 70 and 80 the same way [as their debut],’ he said. ‘We need to set the bar high. There certainly won’t be entitlement with the Socceroos while I’m there.’
