Team Preview – Australia

Manager: Ange Postecoglou. The Socceroos talisman was born in Greece and emigrated to Australia with his family at the young age of five. By the time he was a teenager, he was on the radar of South Melbourne Hellas where he went onto win national championships as both player and manager. Postecoglou coached the Australian Under17 and Under20 teams between 2000 and 2007 before winning more domestic silverware with Brisbane, courtesy of successive A-League championships. He was lured into the national coaching role while in charge of hometown club Melbourne Victory and has been give the huge task of regenerating Australian football at national team level through to the 2018 World Cup in Russia with the 2015 Asian Cup on home soil a high priority.

Star player: Tim Cahill. Cahill made an immediate impact on debut against South Africa in London in 2004 and has since become the nation’s highest international goal scorer with 33 goals in 69 appearances. His presence off the field has given Australian football huge leverage in the mainstream media while on the field he has scored many vital goals over the last decade. The most important being the equaliser and subsequent goal in his brace against Japan at the World Cup Finals of 2006

Who to look out for: Mile Jedinak (Crystal Palace), Matt Ryan (Club Brugge) and Tommy Oar (Utrecht) will have solid tournaments and enhance their reputations. Jedinak is the new captain, Ryan is a star goalkeeper of the future and Oar can terrorise most defenders he decides to attack. The dark horse will be Mark Milligan (Melbourne Victory), who is the fittest player in the squad, and in career best form.

The draw: Group B provided Australia with a cruel draw and no matches where they will be favoured to take the three points. In Group B are Chile ranked 13^th and who are playing a high tempo frenetic attacking football while Holland ranked 15^th made the final four years ago and much is expected of the technically gifted, mentally fragile, yet ultimately super talented Dutch team. Then there is Spain, the reigning European and FIFA World Champions, ranked 1^st and almost unstoppable in Group B. This is the toughest overall draw Australia has received in its four finals appearances.

Prediction: 1^st Round. Australia will give it everything during the Group B matches against the experience of Chile’s La Roja in their 9^th appearance in the finals, Holland’s Oranje in their 10^th finals tournament and Spain’s La Furia Roja who make Brazil their14^th appearance at the Mundial. The late transition and lack of experience particularly in the backline will bring Australia undone against superior opposition. This team is being built for Russia 2018 and although Australia will leave Brazil early, they will enjoy being underdogs and perhaps cause a massive surprise. Soon after Brazil, the Socceroos will start to focus on winning the Asian Cup on home in January 2015.

FTSAUS Fact: Currently ranked 59^th in the world, Australia enter the World Cup as the lowest ranked team. The Socceroos are in a transition phase forced on new coach Postecoglou due to predecessors Pim Verbeek and Holger Osiek failing to rejuvenate the national team in recent years. Australia was the first team to arrive in Brazil and have now qualified for three successive FIFA World Cups.

Previous World Cup appearance(s): 1974 (1^st round), 2006 (Round of 16) 2010 (1^st Round)

Extra time: When Australia qualified for the 2006 World Cup the euphoria experienced across the country was palpable. It has lifted the game towards horizons never before experienced and into the hearts and minds of mainstream Australian sport.  Whatever the results in Brazil, the beautiful game is in great shape down under.