"No one has the belief in us, obviously, but we have the belief in ourselves to go do something great." That's Nestory Irankunda, 19 years old, fresh off a brace against Curaçao, and already carrying the weight of a nation's World Cup ambitions.
Australia arrive at this tournament having been written off before a ball was kicked. The draw placed them in Group D alongside the United States, and American media greeted the news warmly — one widely-shared clip described Tony Popovic's side as a "lay-up". That clip has not been forgotten in the Socceroos camp.
Form is ticking upward at the right time
Two pre-tournament friendlies on home soil told a reasonable story. A 1-0 win over Cameroon in Sydney was functional — fringe contenders Jacob Italiano and Lucas Herrington made their cases for inclusion. Then against Curaçao in Melbourne, something clicked. Four goals in 17 minutes. Final score 5-1. It snapped a three-game losing run stretching back to the tail end of 2025 and, more importantly, showed the kind of ruthless attacking burst that can unsettle any defence at a World Cup.
Irankunda's brace in that game was a reminder that Australia have a genuine weapon in the final third. He's not a project — he's ready now.
Aggression with a point to prove
Defender Cameron Burgess was direct when asked about the noise coming from the American side. "We're a nation that tries to let our football do the talking," he said — but he was equally clear that the aggressive edge Popovic has built into this squad isn't a response to USMNT trash talk. It's the identity.
"No backing down is something that's probably instilled in our culture," Burgess said. He'd know. He went toe-to-toe with Chris Richards in last October's friendly, the same game where Richards declared he "would've killed somebody" had the referee not intervened. Pulisic limped off. The match ended 2-1 to the US, but it wasn't comfortable.
That context matters for how this Group D game gets priced. The USMNT lost 5-2 to Belgium and 2-0 to Portugal in their March friendlies — Australia's World Cup odds as outright winners may be long, but a result against the hosts in the group stage is very much in play.
Burgess put it plainly: "Everything's front-footed, every decision is made with confidence and ready to take that next step forward." Whether or not they're on mission to "wreck" anyone, the Socceroos are not flying to America to make up the numbers.
