After his team lost 0-2 to the United States in the second round of the FIFA World Cup group stage, Australia coach Tony Popovic attended a press conference.

Tony, this match could be described as two completely different halves. Could you briefly explain what happened at the start? Clearly, you were at a disadvantage from the beginning. Was this due to nerves, the pressure of a big tournament like this, or did the US team surprise you in some way?

No, it didn't surprise us. Their strength was clear, their quality obvious, and their athleticism too. So there was nothing surprising about their performance. We couldn't compete with them in the first half; we struggled to win challenges or get second balls. We were a step slower on every ball, and we couldn't regain any initiative on the pitch, which made the game very difficult. Look, we conceded a couple of goals, and they were really careless mistakes on our part. But overall, we looked sluggish and lethargic in the first half.

Tony, I just want to follow up on that. Why do you think you appeared slow and lethargic? Why was the US team always first to the ball? I noticed you made several substitutions at halftime. Was that a selection consideration? What's your take on it?

I mean, you could always wonder if it's a selection issue, but I'm not sure how much difference it would have made if we'd changed personnel in the first half. You know, the stadium environment was very hot for us, conditions were difficult, and we struggled to play. I think it would have been hard for substitute players to last very long if they'd played in the first half. So we needed some fresh, energetic players in the second half, and we had to perform better than we did in the first.

But you also have to give credit to the opposition; there's a reason they're so good. But overall, I was very, very pleased with how the players responded, because you know, we're a very inexperienced team at this level. We don't have players with experience playing in top leagues, and we don't have enough accumulated playing time.

But that response, when you could easily collapse under the physical and emotional pressure, our reaction was outstanding. So I was really very, very pleased with the second-half performance. It would have been even better if we could have scored in the chances we created, and then we'd see what happened. But everyone should be very pleased with how we responded after the break.

Tony, you just praised the US team. How is the US team today different from what you saw in the October friendly? Based on the quality of this US team, do you think they could go further in the FIFA World Cup than the US has gone before?

Well, they've already qualified, so they've completed the first part of their objective. But yes, as I mentioned in yesterday's pre-match press conference, I was impressed with them back in October, and now they look even stronger, very powerful, and very cohesive. They have many players, and even those coming off the bench have rich experience and high quality. They controlled the pace of the game very well in the first half.

Unfortunately, the goal we conceded just before halftime hurt us, it really hurt us. But as I said, we competed well with them in the second half. Overall, our goalkeeper barely had to make a save throughout the match, but the US team was clearly superior in the first half.

What's your view on the physicality of this match? I noticed there were seven yellow cards, and although it's early in the tournament, that's the most we've seen so far. Both teams are proud and will battle for each other, but what did you think of the physical aspect of the game?

No, I don't think the match was too physical, honestly. I think it's just what you'd expect from a FIFA World Cup-level competition. To be honest, I thought the referee blew the whistle too much for fouls. Sometimes you don't need to do much to get penalized, and other times you have to work very hard to get a call. But that's up to the referee to judge their decisions. Overall, I don't think the match was overly physical.

Hi Tony, does the second-half performance give you more to think about for your team selection against Paraguay? You just mentioned "lethargic." Were you surprised that lethargy was a characteristic of the first half?

Yes, that's how it looked. So I think the players were well prepared, but sometimes these big moments can have an impact. We couldn't get momentum in the game, and when you can't win challenges or get second balls, it's hard to play well. But in the second half, we won most of the possession and most of the second balls. If you look at the overall picture, we penetrated the penalty box more often than they did.

However, that's probably because we were so far behind after the first half that it was difficult to catch up. I thought the substitute players performed very well; they had a very positive impact. We replaced our young 21-year-old striker with a 20-year-old, so it was a subtle difference. This player found the second half very, very physically demanding—we're talking about a very explosive player, but he cramped up on the pitch, so these are all things you have to consider. But I was very pleased with the mentality in dealing with the difficult period, and he had an impact. I thought Jason Geria played very well, Connor Metcalfe played very well, and Cristian Volpato also played very well after coming on.

So for us, the performance of all the players throughout the second half was very encouraging. Even the players who played in the first half and stayed on performed impressively. So they reacted to the first half, they were able to move past that experience, and really picked up the tempo and improved the quality of their performance. Unfortunately, the first-half performance cost us too much.

Hi Tony, your team has played in front of large crowds before, and recently played Mexico in front of 80,000 at the Rose Bowl, where the atmosphere was reportedly hostile. What was your view of the atmosphere today, and what impact do you think it had on your team?

I don't know; that's really a question for the players. Yes, it was a wonderful atmosphere, credit to all the home fans who came out to support their team. But you know, we also have a very large fanbase, and they made a lot of noise, and they could feel the team getting back into the game in the second half. So we felt their support, and it was a very special moment. Clearly the US team are happy to go home with a win, and we should also be satisfied with the second-half performance, which is a foundation to build on. We know we still have great chances to progress, and our fate is in our own hands.

Tony, first I want to ask, I noticed Mohammed Dhur came off early in the second half, and he looked a bit lame. Is he injured, or was that a tactical decision? Second, you've alluded to this a few times, but I don't want to put words in your mouth. Could you explain the two changes you made to the starting lineup? Nestor (Ireland) and Connor (Metcalfe) came off, Matt (Leckie) and Nish (Velupillay) came on. Why did you feel those decisions were right for this match?

We didn't want to use the same starting eleven, and you could see why today. In hindsight, maybe I should have made more changes. When you see how difficult this match was—we knew the strength the US team has, but you also make decisions based on what we see in training and how players recover physically and emotionally from matches. We wanted to keep freshness on the wings, which allowed us to bring in more explosive players in the second half.

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