Socceroos boss blames ‘lethargy’ for USA defeat

SEATTLE: Australia coach Tony Popovic blamed a lethargic first half display for his team’s World Cup Group D defeat against the United States on Friday.

The Socceroos had gone into Friday’s game in Seattle brimming with confidence after a superb 2-0 upset of Turkey in their opening match last weekend.

But Australian hopes of springing another surprise against the World Cup co-hosts wilted in the midday sun in Seattle as the Americans surged into a 2-0 lead during the first half before closing out victory.

Popovic said his team had failed to match the power and athleticism of the Americans in the opening 45 minutes.

“There are no surprises in what they did and we didn’t match that in the first half,” Popovic said.

“We found it difficult to win a challenge to win a second ball. We were slow to every ball, and we couldn’t really wrestle back any momentum, which made it difficult.

“We conceded a couple of really soft goals but we just looked flat and lethargic in the first half.”

Popovic had sprung a selection surprise before the game by leaving the Australians’ two goalscorers against Turkey – Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe – on the bench.

But Popovic said he did not believe his choice of lineup had affected the outcome of the match.

“I’m not sure how much the personnel would have made a difference in that first half,” he said.

“It was warm for us out there, it was difficult. We found it difficult, and I think the players that came on would have probably struggled to last long in the first half. So, we needed some fresh bodies for the second half to come on,” he added.