Australia will face the United States on June 19 in Seattle in a World Cup Group D match after winning their opening game 2-0 against Turkey with goals from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe [1, 2, 3].
Assistant coach Hayden Foxe said Australia’s players are mature enough to manage social media pressure themselves and do not need staff to shield them. "We can’t baby them. They’re their own selves, we want them to be their own selves," Foxe told reporters on June 15 [1]. He added, "Social media’s out there, they’re aware of media and the comments and what’s being said. But we’re concentrated on us. They’re old enough and mature enough to understand what gets said and what doesn’t get said" [3].
Foxe cautioned that the team should not become complacent after their win against Turkey. "Fantastic win against Turkey. Memorable, great. Enjoy that moment. Now that’s gone. Now we move on to the US," he said, referencing the experience of Saudi Arabia’s 2022 upset win and subsequent elimination [3].
Despite some criticism from US commentators like Alexi Lalas, who ranked Australia as average among 48 nations in pre-tournament rankings, Australia remains focused and confident [1, 2, 3]. Irankunda said Turkey captain Hakan Calhanoglu’s claim that Turkey was more talented fired up the team but that the players did not care about such talk. "It did piss off a few boys, but at the end of the day, these guys can talk all the shit ... we don’t really care," Irankunda said [1].
Midfielder Connor Metcalfe expressed confidence heading into the US match, saying the team coached by Tony Popovic would enter the game "full of energy, full of confidence" [2].
Australia’s next match will take place in Seattle on June 19, 2026, against the United States as part of the World Cup Group D schedule [1, 2, 3].
