The showdown to determine the world's best "soccer"-playing nation is upon us: the much-anticipated Group D clash between the United States and Australia in Seattle on Friday, a contest set to captivate both sides of the Pacific.
The hosts are ranked higher and have an internationally renowned manager. They boast greater depth of talent and enjoy home support. The Socceroos entered the tournament widely tipped to finish bottom of the group stage, but their shock 2-0 victory over Turkey has flipped expectations and made this a matchup for Group D's top spot.
For the USMNT, this fixture is no "layup," as one American television pundit put it, turning to a basketball analogy. Nor is it a penalty kick or a simple finish. The task ahead of Mauricio Pochettino's side is more like a corner kick: promising, but one must not sleep on the counterattack.
Looking back to last October's friendly in Colorado, a recipe for a Socceroos victory emerges. Australian left wing-back Jordan Bos scored the opener out of nothing. A throw-in led to uncertain defending before Bos slotted home to stun the home fans. It was the visitors' only shot on goal in the first half, a performance founded on their now-customary conservative play.
Bos looms as the main threat for the Socceroos at this World Cup. The 23-year-old is in the conversation as the best left-back in the Dutch Eredivisie, where he helped Feyenoord to second place behind PSV. With a similar posture to Gareth Bale, he is well suited to the 3-4-2-1 system preferred by Australian coach Tony Popovic.
The setup is founded on defensive organization, with three central defenders and two holding midfielders. Bos, on the left sideline, is given license to attack past Australia's inverted wingers. His deep starting position and pace will be a key counterattacking outlet, and his jink against Turkey that left Kerem Aktürkoğlu sliding on the Vancouver turf perfectly illustrated his confidence.
In USMNT right-wing-back Sergiño Dest, however, the Americans have a man well-placed to curb Bos's threat. Dest's PSV beat Bos's Feyenoord twice last season on the way to the Eredivisie title, and the American knows Bos's tendencies as well as anyone. Dest was injured for the October friendly where Bos ran rampant.
The USMNT recovered in that match to win 2-1, thanks to two goals from Haji Wright. The first came from a neat through-ball by Cristian Roldan, who pierced the Socceroos' mid-to-low block to find Wright. For the second, a quick free-kick to Wright in behind caught out Australian defender Cam Burgess. Australia will be better prepared for both situations and likely far less generous in Seattle.
In the Colorado friendly, as dominant as the USMNT may have been—enjoying almost two-thirds of possession—the result was uncertain to the end. Australian forward Nestory Irankunda came close to equalizing in the 89th minute, outmuscling Miles Robinson and producing two stepovers before hammering a low shot that was well saved by Matt Freese.
Irankunda had a promising if uneven campaign for Watford in the Championship, scoring four goals. In a friendly for Australia against Curaçao in March, he scored two in just 23 minutes. A confidence player, prone to droughts and storms, the 20-year-old showed his threat against Turkey by scoring the opener—a blink-and-you-missed-it counterattack made possible by his pace.
That unpredictability and power of the unknown may be Australia's biggest weapon. Mo Touré, 22, is set to lead the line, and the incisive striker is only just finding his potential. He starred for Norwich after a January move, with nine goals in 11 matches in the Championship.
If the recent emergence of Touré and Irankunda hasn't made life hard for USMNT staff, two last-minute selection surprises surely have. The Socceroos called in two forwards just before the tournament who may yet become X-factors: Cristian Volpato, a left-footed right winger for Sassuolo in Serie A, and Tete Yengi, a 6ft 6in striker who has had a promising year for Machida Zelvia in Japan.
Alongside Yengi, Australia's towering captain Harry Souttar and perhaps back-up Lucas Herrington—the 18-year-old Colorado Rapids player who arrived on the national scene this year—will pose a threat at set pieces. Aside from Chris Richards, central defense and goalkeeper are positions of weakness for the Americans, a fact not missed by Popovic, himself a former Socceroos center-back.
