SEATTLE -- Nestory Irankunda and Cristian Volpato have pressed their case to start in the Socceroos' massive Group D clash with Paraguay next Thursday, as coach Tony Popovic looks to build on the momentum from an improved second-half in Australia's 2-0 loss to the United States on Friday.
Thudding back to earth after their 2-0 win over Türkiye, the Socceroos were jumped on and thoroughly outclassed by the Americans across the opening 45 minutes in Seattle, falling to a 2-0 deficit that they couldn't overcome, despite, as in keeping with their recent history, improving in the second half.
Eyebrows were raised ahead of the contest when Popovic opted to replace Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe -- goal scorers in the win over the Turks -- with Nishan Velupillay and Mat Leckie in his starting XI, with the coach saying post-game that the changes came from a desire to add freshness to the wings.
The addition of the likes of Irankunda, Volpato (who replaced an injured Leckie on the hour), Jason Geria, and Connor Metcalfe helped instigate a turnaround -- even with Irankunda experiencing cramps, as Popovic revealed -- and, combined with the reaction from the incumbent starters, Popovic saw some positives to build upon.
"I think that the players prepared well," said Popovic. "Sometimes it can be the occasion. We couldn't really gain any traction in the game, and then when you're not winning the challenges, and you're not winning the second balls, it's very difficult to do that.
"In the second half, we won most of the ball, and won most of the second balls. If you have a look, overall, we entered the box a lot more than they did."
The absence of Irankunda from Popovic's XI caught many off guard, with the attacker earmarked by Australian, American, and neutral observers as one of the Socceroos' key weapons against a backline not known for its pace.
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Irankunda has been mooted as a potential super-sub at the World Cup, but indicated a preference to go from kickoff.
"I would have preferred to start, of course," Irankunda said. "For me, it was the biggest game; it was the game that I was most looking forward to. I would have loved to play from the start, create some things and score some goals.
"But the coach decided differently; he wanted to approach the game differently. Which is fine with me; I play for the team, not for myself.
"I just try to give my best every game that I play in. Even today, even though we're down 2-0, I still, still tried my best to give something for the team and also for the nation. But in the end, I didn't do that, so not too happy with myself and not too happy with how we performed, but we'll go again.
"Whether I'm starting against Paraguay or whether I'm on the bench, it's the same approach: giving my all during the week in training and then, if I'm starting, playing my best. If I'm coming off the bench, same thing."
Volpato also demonstrated his value after entering, providing a spark and combining well with teammates. After making a late switch from Italy on the eve of the World Cup, the attacker arrived in camp underdone and needing to build conditioning, but told media post-game he felt "fit" after a few weeks on the track.
"He's a top player," said Irankunda. "He's my mate. We've been in contact for a long time. When I first broke through in the A-League, we were talking. It was great to get to play with him against Switzerland and then today when we both came on. He's talented, a damn good player, and I'm just happy to have him in the team."
Volpato, for his part, was emotional upon making his World Cup debut and enthusiastic about the possibility of combining with Irankunda and Touré.
"It was a dream come true," Volpato said. "Seeing the green and gold out there was amazing. I just wanted to try and make every Aussie proud, because we're a good team, and now we just have to prove that.
"I'm a player that you know loves to take the risk. I feel in football, you have to take the risk to get a reward.
"I thought I could have scored [in the 62nd minute], but that's what I try to do. I try to help the team and lift the spirits.
"Both [Touré and Irankunda] are quality players. They're both fast. Maybe I'm a little bit less fast, so maybe I can use their pace a little bit. They're amazing boys and quality players.
"Walking out today, I was tearing up; it was amazing. If I knew about this, I would have come a long time ago!"