Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has issued an “elite” warning to his squad before facing Japan away in another crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Tuesday having notched a significant win in his first match in charge.
Popovic said the best football nation in Asia would test Australia after the Socceroos recovered from conceding a goal inside the first 20 minutes before beating a ragged China 3-1 at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
The victory was capped off by a man-of-the-match performance from South Australia’s Craig Goodwin.
‘Extremely proud’ Popovic chats Roos win | 00:36
“Some of the players don’t quite have the level yet to play the level we require to play twice in four days,’’ Popovic said after a winning debut on the bench at Adelaide Oval.
“Once we get that right, I think you’ll see the players and how they performed (on Friday night), they can back that up.
“So, if they find this environment difficult, that’s how it should be.
“It shouldn’t be as easy as club level, that’s the environment we’re trying to create.
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic got his first win in Adelaide. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
“Coming here, it will be hard and if you want to come back you need to be at an elite level away from here.”
The former Socceroo said he had ridden waves of emotions since he was named as former coach Graham Arnold’s replacement, 17 days before facing China when Australia’s 2026 FIFA World Cup hopes were dimming fast after earning just a point in the open two matches of the final phase of qualifying.
“So much has happened in two weeks, it’s been a bit of a blur,” Popovic said.
“Once I came (into the job) there was so much to do in two weeks.
“In particular when you want to change an entire way of playing with a different system, so we’ve put in a lot of work, the focus has been on that.
Stunning Goodwin goal gifts Aus lead | 01:05
“Before the game when the players were warming up, I had a chat with my wife and the kids and you think this is something quite special, so (there was) a lot of pride and the family is extremely proud of me as you’d expect.
“When the game started everything felt right, and I felt at ease with the group, with the staff.
“Even at 1-0 down I thought we were in total control of the game, we weren’t doing enough in the front third, they had one shot and scored.”
Goodwin was credited with an assist for Lewis Miller’s headed equaliser before scoring a world-class goal eight minutes after the break.
The 2023 Johnny Warren medal winner handed the Socceroos a deserved lead at arguably his favourite Oval where he has been at his absolute best and scored crucial goals for club and country.
“Special memories at this venue and I’m really happy to add to that,’’ Goodwin said.
“This is something, I have to enjoy now and tomorrow and then we have to move on to the next as is everything in football.
It happens so quickly, and we have to focus on Japan.
“If we go to Japan and don’t put in a good performance this is all for nothing.”
Massimo Luongo is in doubt for the Socceroos’ crucial World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan after missing Ipswich’s latest premier league match against West Ham due to injury.
Sources in the UK told Fox Sports Australia, Luongo’s absence was most likely due to fitness rather than form. It comes just days after ending his retirement from international football.
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FC St. Pauli midfielder Connor Metcalfe could also be unavailable. He failed a fitness test and was ruled out of their 3-0 defeat to Mainz in the Bundesliga.
Metcalfe has been a mainstay in the Socceroos midfield during this qualifying campaign.
Football Australia wouldn’t comment when contacted.
Luongo picked up an injury soon after being named in Tony Popovic’s first squad in charge of the national side; a squad that was only revealed on Friday.
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna revealed in the build up to their match against West Ham that he had several injury concerns on his hands, but didn’t name the players specifically.
“We’ve got a few other little issues that we’re monitoring at the moment, but in general we have good availability,” McKenna said.
Palace question non-penalty on VVD | 00:37
Luongo’s name was then missing from Ipswich’s team sheet. The nature and severity of the injury is still unknown.
The 32-year-old retired from international football in January this year, right before the Asian Cup.
At the time, the midfielder was intent on pouring his energy into Ipswich’s push for promotion to the Premier League and earning a new contract with the club.
With both of those goals achieved, Luongo backflipped on his decision to end his time as a Socceroo last week.
His absence would be a sizeable blow. Australia sits fifth in a six team group after two-games of the third round of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In what turned out to be Graham Arnold’s last two matches in charge of the Socceroos, they failed to score in a defeat to Bahrain on the Gold Coast and a draw with Indonesia in Jakarta, and the side is crying out for Luongo’s creative spark.
The top two-teams in the group will seal automatic qualification for the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Further opportunities to qualify will be available in the fourth and fifth rounds if required.
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The Sydney born playmaker is the only Socceroo currently getting minutes in England’s top-flight. He started Ipswich’s first two-games of the season against Liverpool and Manchester City, but only got six-minutes in the following four-games, with the arrival of England international Kalvin Phillips, on loan from Manchester City, limiting his opportunities.
Socceroos defender Cameron Burgess also plays for Ipswich, but has only featured once on the pitch for McKenna this season, and that was in a second-round League Cup defeat to AFC Wimbledon on penalties.
Players will start arriving in camp in Adelaide in waves, right up until Wednesday morning; just a day before the game against China.
Luongo could be forced to watch on from England and hope for better luck ahead of two more big qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in November.
Tony Popovic will pick his first squad as Socceroos manager this week after being thrown headfirst into the complicated world of international football management.
The former Socceroos defender, unveiled as national team boss last week, has built an impressive resume as a head coach over the last 12-years, but is unlikely to have encountered a situation before where the weight of expectation is so high, and the preparation time to meet that moment is so short.
Come kick-off in their next World Cup qualifier, against China in Adelaide on October 10, Popovic would’ve been in charge of the Socceroos for just 17 days. But in that period, he’ll only get one or two training sessions with the players, at most, before his first match at the helm starts.
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The 51-year-old seems at peace with that prospect; he’s had little choice but to embrace the chaos of the last fortnight.
Popovic decided to move his family to Croatia, after not renewing his contract with Melbourne Victory at the end of the last A-League men’s season.
He also admitted he’d only watched the Socceroos last two qualifiers, against Bahrain and Indonesia, just days before walking into Football Australia’s headquarters in Sydney.
Now, the fate of that side rests in his hands.
The Socceroos don’t do World Cup qualifying campaigns devoid of tension; so in a way, the situation Popovic has walked into has almost become an expected mode of operating when it comes to booking a spot at football’s showpiece event.
Long-term, as investment in national team programs across Asia outpaces what Football Australia is currently capable of, continually finding a way to jump out of the fire is unsustainable.
That might be Popovic’s problem in the future if he does manage to turn things around.
In the short term, however, these are the four biggest issues facing the new boss ahead of this looming international window.
Popovic confirmed as new Socceroos coach | 02:27
HOW QUICKLY CAN POPOVIC GET HIS MESSAGE ACROSS?
Popovic is a self-confessed, meticulous planner with training sessions delivered in great detail, but how much he can convey to his new players in such a short amount of time is one of the biggest unknowns ahead of the clash with China.
A lack of time on the training pitch was the part of the job that former Socceroos coach Graham Arnold found the most challenging – even six-years into his tenure.
Players don’t arrive in camp until completing commitments with their club sides around the world.
It means the full squad isn’t likely to assemble in Adelaide until 48 hours prior to kick-off against China.
That would be less consequential at the start of a qualifying campaign. During the third phase, and with automatic qualification spots up for grabs, it becomes a huge factor.
It leaves Popovic with one or two sessions, at most, to get his message – a new message for the players – across.
How quickly that message not only sinks in, but turns into performance on the pitch, will be crucial.
Popovic has promised Socceroos fans, unhappy with the style of play under his predecessor, a change.
“There are obviously some areas there that I believe we can improve,” Popovic said at his unveiling last week.
“We can be a little bit more dynamic, we can move the ball quicker, we can get more players in the box.”
Translating that onto the pitch, with limited preparation time, against an opponent they’ll be expected to beat, is the first hurdle for Popovic to jump.
Tony Popovic, the newly-appointed head coach for Australia’s national football team. Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFPSource: AFP
WHERE IS THE CREATIVE SPARK?
Arnold named an abundance of wingers in his squad to face Bahrain and Indonesia at the expense of more creative players in behind the strikers.
The plan was to dominate one-on-one situations out wide before delivering a decisive ball into the box.
It made the side one-dimensional in a 1-nil defeat to Bahrain on the Gold Coast, but tactical tweaks were evident against Indonesia just five-days later with largely the same personnel.
The Socceroos were incredibly unlucky not to come away from Jakarta with more than a draw but, largely, the responsibility for creating chances during those two fixtures fell to the wide-men.
The conundrum when it comes to the Socceroos is that they often play better against higher ranked opponents than their usual foes in Asia.
At a World Cup, Australia enters matches as the underdog, and higher ranked teams aren’t shy when it comes to attacking.
The Socceroos’ game-plan at the last World Cup in Qatar, for example, was built around an ability to soak up pressure and then rapidly counter-attack opponents who had left space in behind.
In Asia, that isn’t the case for most matches during the qualifying phase. Australia is one of the powerhouses of the region, and as a result, expected to be the aggressor against teams who prefer to sit back with men behind the ball.
Breaking down opponents, who defend in large numbers in and around their own box, is the next step in Australia’s progression as a national side.
A different type of player; one who can pull the strings in-behind the strikers and unlock defences with clever passes is needed, to compliment the pace out wide.
Tony Popovic. Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images for Football AustraliaSource: Getty Images
Three players, all of whom missed selection for the last international window, currently fit that profile: Cardiff City’s Alexander Robertson, Salernitana’s Ajdin Hrustic and Middlesbrough’s Riley McGree.
Hrustic spent part of last season on loan at Heracles in the Eredivisie, before sealing a permanent move from Serie A outfit Hellas Verona to Serie B side Salernitana in the off-season.
Riley McGree suffered a foot injury against Lebanon in Sydney in March that required surgery, ruling him out for the rest of Middlesbrough’s campaign in the second-tier Championship in the UK.
A knock picked up in pre-season halted his comeback, but he got 76-minutes under his belt in a 2-0 win over Stoke at the weekend.
Under Arnold, McGree has mainly been used on the left of a front three, but like Hrustic, possesses the required tactical nous to play in a more central role.
Arnold preferred to let 21-year-old Robertson settle into life at Cardiff, who also play in the Championship, after a move from Manchester City.
The decision was understandable. The young Aussie was sent on-loan several times while at City, eventually landing at Portsmouth in 2023, as they secured promotion from League One. After establishing himself as a regular starter at Pompey, he suffered a season-ending hamstring tear at training in January.
A round-trip from the UK, that included stops on the Gold Coast and Jakarta wouldn’t have been ideal for a player who is trying to establish himself after a nomadic existence at club level. But he hasn’t been seen in green and gold since the Socceroos’ friendly against Argentina in Beijing in June of 2023, and with the stakes this high, the national side is in desperate need of a player with his unique abilities.
Tony Popovic speaks to media. Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images for Football AustraliaSource: Getty Images
WHERE DO THE GOALS COME FROM?
The Socceroos stormed through the second round of qualifying, scoring 22 times without conceding, but the goals have dried up in the third round.
They failed to score against Bahrain and Indonesia and finding the back of the net was made even harder, after striker Kusini Yengi was sent off against Bahrain, meaning he missed the game in Jakarta through suspension.
He has one-game of that red card ban left to serve and is also battling a groin injury, so his participation in the October window, where he’d only be available for the showdown against Japan, is in doubt.
It’s a huge setback. Yengi has scored four goals in nine international appearances so far and looks the man most likely to lead the line for the Socceroos moving forward.
In his absence, Arnold turned to 33-year-old Mitch Duke and 18-year-old Nestory Irankunda, who is on the books of German giants Bayern Munich, against Indonesia.
Popovic has options, but none that have shown themselves to be prolific. Aside from Mathew Leckie, who has struggled with injury since the World Cup in 2022, Duke has the most goals of any current Socceroo. But his return of 12 goals from 42 appearances sees him hit the back of the net every 195 minutes on average.
Former Melbourne City striker Jamie Maclaren is the next best with 11 goals from 31 games.
The A-League Men all-time top scorer departed for Indian Super League club Mohun Bagan Super Giant in July, and is yet to open his account for his new club after two substitute appearances from their three games.
Maclaren was also left out of the Socceroos Asian Cup squad earlier this year by Arnold, and contemplated international retirement as a result. While a re-call would be a risk on current form, the 31-year-old is a proven goal scorer.
Apostolos Stamatelopoulos is also an option after playing the last two games for Motherwell in Scotland. The former Newcastle Jet missed the last set of internationals after injuring his quad against Rangers in mid-August.
Denmark based John Iredale has been used sporadically this year as well.
Popovic set to be NEW Socceroos coach | 00:54
CAN HE MAKE UP FOR MISSED EASY POINTS?
It was put to Popovic at his first press conference, that perhaps there were easier times to take over as Socceroos coach.
He met that query with: “Why wouldn’t it be a good time?”
The Aussies sit fifth in a six team group after two games, and although there’s eight games remaining in this phase of qualifying, four of those fixtures are against group heavyweights Japan and Saudi Arabia.
A chance for bankable points against Bahrain and Indonesia also went begging, but as Popovic would go on to say “that’s football.”
While that’s true, it hardly makes the road ahead smooth sailing – especially when a top-two finish in the group will seal automatic qualification for the next World Cup in two years’ time.
The Socceroos were ticking along like a marathoner comfortably churning out the kilometres until the most recent window. Now, the pack has kicked and increased the pace as they head for the finish line.
Popovic will need to get his side back-up to speed quickly, or another wild ride; filled with play-off jeopardy potentially awaits.
As they prepare to square off in the first all-Melbourne Throwdown of NBL25, there’s an air of familiarity between opposing star import guards Derrick Walton Jr and Ian Clark.
Call it six degrees of separation — and maybe a little sliding doors.
They’re connected in the world of basketball by friendship linkages on and off the court, most notably through former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kay Felder.
“Kay Felder and I are like brothers and then him and Ian are really close and so there was immediately a mutual respect,” Walton Jr, in his first season with the Phoenix, said.
“He’s (Felder) probably my first ever teammate in organised basketball, my dad and his dad grew up together. His mum and my mum were really close and me and him, we grew up together.
“Kay told me about Ian and his relationship. I played against Ian two years ago when he was in Adelaide and it still didn’t come up until this year.”
Each was once a title-winning Sydney King, Clark’s in 2022 and Walton Jr’s one year removed — laced with the grand final series MVP.
Melbourne United’s Ian Clarke and South East Melbourne’s Derrick Walton Jr prepare for the All-Melbourne Throwdown. Picture: Wayne TaylorSource: News Corp Australia
It’s the first time the Phoenix have hosted the season-tip-off Throwdown — and Walton Jr’s first taste of the burgeoning rivalry, but Clark warned it won’t just be green jerseys packing out the John Cain Arena stands.
“Throwdown, for us, it’s kind of like a home game,” Clark said.
“We still have our fans there and It’s still our court that we play on, so it’s going to be fun.”
For Walton Jr, he’s still getting up to full speed after a calf injury hampered his NBL25 prep but warned it would not take him long to refine the elite skills package that makes him one of the best players in the NBL.
“I’m trying not to make an excuse but I wish I would have hit the ground running,” he said.
“(Phoenix basketball boss) Simon (Mitchell) has been super helpful to me, allowing me to just round back into form and being a leader of the team and being around the camaraderie of guys that’s trying to do something with a common goal.”
D-WALT: HOW CREEK CHINA MEET PLANTED NBL SEED
During his recent stint in China, Walton Jr, 29, said he had an inkling he’d be back in Australia this season.
“I wouldn’t say I knew that it was going to happen, but it was just fresh on my mind what I was able to accomplish here,” Walton Jr said.
“Just because I still had the relationship, I knew I probably wouldn’t have been able to go back to Sydney.
“Then I was just thinking of other places where basketball was big, and then the lifestyle of things was just a mixture.”
A chance meeting with the Phoenix’s most decorated player Mitch Creek, who was playing in China at the same time, began a chain reaction where the pair would have been teammates — until club and Creek mutually parted ways.
“I ran into Creek in China after one of our scrimmages, just telling him I was interested in coming back, if he was coming back,” Walton Jr said.
“And, obviously it didn’t, kind of, come full circle in that way.
“But I pinpointed Melbourne for the lifestyle — when we came here for the (NBL) awards ceremony (two years ago) I just knew it was a lot different than any other city I visited.”
IC: SWITCHING OFF — WITH A UNITED PLAN
Clark, 33, has NBA championship pedigree and that gives the veteran the luxury of taking his time to decide his future each year.
After late arrivals for the Kings, then Adelaide, the Tennessee Triple spent last campaign with United and, after the heartbreak of grand final defeat, decided to come back for a second campaign.
“Last year was my first full season overseas, so I really tried to disconnect and, you know, be back with my family and be Ian, not the basketball player, but Ian, the son and the brother and the partner,” Clark said.
“In the back of my mind, I knew I would be back (at United), but, at the same time, I just wanted to give myself some clarity and make sure it was the right thing I wanted to do.
“I ended up coming to Vegas (for NBA Summer League) and seeing coach (Dean Vickerman) and seeing (chief executive) Nick Truelson and just watched (ex-United men) Ariel (Hukporti), Jo (Lual-Acuil Jr), and LT (Luke Travers) play.”
The pursuit of more silverware is all the fuel Clark needs.
“Getting another one,” he says when asked why he continues to pursue basketball excellence.
“Honestly, that and I just feel good.
“I love the game, I love to compete, and as long as my body’s feeling good and I still have that joy for it, I’ll keep doing it until it’s gone.”
New Socceroos coach Tony Popovic is prepared to “win ugly” if it means Australia qualifies for the next FIFA World Cup, but has also promised more “dynamic” performances from the national team under his tenure.
Popovic’s appointment was confirmed just four days after Graham Arnold made the shock decision to quit in the wake of two poor World Cup qualifying results.
Having won two A-League premierships, Popovic also guided the Western Sydney Wanderers to becoming the first Australian team to win the prestigious AFC Champions League.
“This is the ultimate challenge and I’m excited by it,” Popovic said on Monday ahead of Australia’s matches next month against China and Japan.
“Five years ago I wasn’t ready for this role. Three years ago or two years ago, I wouldn’t have looked at this role.
“(Now) I’m ready. I want this job. I’m here because I want to be here.”
Popovic, 51, said the Socceroos looked a “bit flat” in this month’s 1-0 home loss to Bahrain and 0-0 away draw with Indonesia.
“That can happen … (but) there are some areas I believe we can improve. That’s talking from the back to the front,” he said.
“Maybe we can be a little bit more dynamic, we can move the ball quicker, we can get more players in then box … I’m sure we can get that back and do it even better moving forward.
“We need to be a lot more connected as a team with and without the ball … (play) with the energy and desire, and with the speed and the dynamic type of play that I believe the players will enjoy.”
However, the ultimate goal is qualification for the 2026 World Cup, with Popovic – who departed Melbourne Victory after guiding them to last season’s A-League grand final – suggesting he would do whatever was required to achieve that.
“We need to win. We should always look to improve, but qualifying is not easy,” he said.
“It’s always OK to win ugly. That’s not to say you’re planning to play that way.
“I’ll never be satisfied when we win and we don’t play well. We’ll be satisfied with the win but we need to make sure the style gets better. We should always aim to be the best.”
A member of the Socceroos’ famed “Golden Generation” that included the likes of Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka, Lucas Neill, John Aloisi, Mark Bresciano, Craig Moore and Mark Schwarzer, Popovic vowed his players would “honour” the Socceroos’ jersey.
“We always wore that shirt with integrity, and we wore it as privilege, as a badge of honour – we never took it for granted,” he said.
“We need those values. Honour is number one to wear the shirt and wear it with pride, and represent your country and your family.
“Looking ahead, I have great faith and confidence in our ability to grow as a team. Together, we will work tirelessly to improve, evolve, and continue Australia’s success on the international stage.”
Football Australia chief executive officer James Johnson said Popovic was the “ideal choice” to guide the Socceroos moving forward.
“We have moved quickly to secure the best possible candidate for this crucial role,” Johnson said.
“Tony’s proven leadership and strategic football acumen, combined with his deep understanding of Australian football, our players, and what it means to be a Socceroo makes him the ideal choice to lead out national team moving forward.”
TONY POPOVIC’S COACHING RECORD
– A-League Success: He has won two A-League Premierships, first with Western Sydney Wanderers FC in 2012/13 and then with Perth Glory FC in 2018/19. During the 2023/24 season, Popovic led Melbourne Victory FC to the grand final.
– AFC Champions League Victory: In 2014, Popovic led Western Sydney Wanderers FC to become the first Australian team to win the prestigious AFC Champions League
– AFC Coach of the Year: His success in Asia was recognised when he was named AFC Coach of the Year in 2014.
A full-time replacement for departed Socceroos coach Graham Arnold is set to be made before next month’s must-win World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan — but top candidate Kevin Muscat is reportedly already out of the running.
The former A-League winning coach and player was mooted among a trio of contenders to take the helm, but according to The Age, he isn’t interested.
The Age reports that Muscat rather holds ambitions of following the coaching trail blazed by Ange Postecoglou and leaping to Europe from his post in Asia.
Graham Arnold was said to be out of gas after a 0-0 draw with Indonesia. (Photo by Robertus Pudyanto/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Muscat’s named was mentioned as a possible target but he would have to be lured away from those ambitions, and his lucrative job as coach of Shanghai Port, who he has guided to the top of the Chinese Super League in his first season in charge.
Other names being floated included former Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers boss Tony Popovic, Frenchman Herve Renard, who coached Saudi Arabia at the FIFA 2022 World Cup, Western United coach John Aloisi and former Central Coach boss Nick Montgomery, who is now Postecoglou’s assistant at Tottenham.
Football Australia chief executive James Johnson on Friday said he was confident of making an appointment in the “next week or two” to succeed 61-year-old Arnold, who, after six years in charge shocked the football fraternity by resigning on Friday.
It came in the aftermath of a poor start to the latest round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers and before the Socceroos go into camp for next month’s international window.
Johnson said FA had been prepared for a “tired” and “out of gas” Arnold’s decision and had already started the process of finding his replacement, with Australian and foreign candidates being considered.
“We are already in the market for a new coach,” Johnson said.
“We know the market, we know who’s available and I want to confirm that we will move quickly to appointing a permanent coach before the next window.”
Johnson said the Socceroos – who host China in Adelaide on October 10 before travelling to Saitama to meet Japan five days later – were in a different situation to the Matildas, who this week were given an interim replacement for previous coach Tony Gustavsson in Tom Sermanni.
“The Matildas are at the start of a cycle. We have time with the Matildas. We don’t have another competitive match until the women’s Asian Cup in 2026, so we want to make sure that we get the right person in at the right time,” he said.
Kevin Muscat won the J-League title in Japan in 2022. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP)Source: AFP
“The Socceroos are mid-calendar. They are two games into 10 round three (qualifying) matches. We need to move quickly. We need to get into fifth gear.
“(The Socceroos) have a match in less than three weeks time (against China in Adelaide), so our plan is not to appoint an interim coach.
“Our plan is to go into the market and appoint a permanent coach, a coach that we believe shares our vision and will get the best out of this team going into the World Cup in 2026.
“We want a coach that’s tactically astute. We want a coach that understands the Australian mentality and understands our players. We want a coach that we have confidence in that can guide us through a complicated Asian qualifying process (for the World Cup).
“We’re very confident that we will go through. We’ve just got to get this appointment right.”
You suspect the likes of LeBron James and Steph Curry were hoping this chapter in USA men’s basketball history would be remembered in the same vein as the 1992 Dream Team, but the truth is it’s been a largely uneventful run for the Americans in Paris.
They’re not going to change the game on a global scale like Michael Jordan and Co did in Barcelona, or be cherished like Kobe and the Redeem Teamers were for returning their country to the top of the basketball world in Beijing.
The Americans will (probably) win gold and (probably) win it comfortably this weekend, but they’ll join the likes of the 2000 and 2016 teams in getting the job done with a minimum of fuss.
The only semi-interesting storylines to this point have been the minor controversy over Jayson Tatum getting a DNP early in the group stage and Joel Embiid getting booed relentlessly by French crowds upset he’s not playing for them.
Which, if you know basketball fans, leads to the inevitable habit of crystal ball-gazing. Specifically, about potential NBA trades.
It doesn’t happen every four years but there’s a couple of very famous examples of superstar players joining forces after forging bonds on an Olympic trip.
LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh changed the league by uniting in Miami after winning gold together in 2008.
Redeem Teamers LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan did the same in Brooklyn after living on a yacht together in Rio, albeit with contrasting results.
So hoops fans are looking for any slight indication a player from their favourite team is becoming particularly chummy with one of his US teammates.
James and Curry were in focus when the Americans first assembled.
NBA Finals rivals for four straight years from 2015-18 – a period where there were moments you felt the King really didn’t like the three-point wizard from Golden State – James and Curry have become great buds in recent years.
They spoke often about their excitement at playing together and recent comments by Curry — where he said he wants to be a Warrior for life but “things change quickly” in the NBA — gave some life to the idea of him joining forces with the Lakers veteran.
Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan forged bonds in Rio in 2016. Picture: GettySource: Getty Images
But James and Curry probably make too much money to fit on the same team at this point of their careers.
Outside of those two, Durant and Devin Booker’s situation in Phoenix is far from settled given what their owner is forking out for a team that has so far fallen short. Embiid is another who often hears speculation about his future in Philadelphia.
But the name on the lips of the most NBA fan bases is Anthony Edwards. The breakout star of this year’s NBA playoffs does not exactly play in the most appealing of destinations with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
If you gave every team the ability to sign one young American talent they’d almost all pick the recently turned 23-year-old shooting guard.
Which brings us to this photo.
Anthony Edwards and Bam Adebayo share a laugh together. (Photo by Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Edwards is a jokester who can make anyone laugh but the chemistry he appears to share with Miami Heat big man Adebayo has the rumour mill running.
To make matters worse for Wolves fans, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is in Paris too serving as an assistant coach under Steve Kerr.
“Anthony Edwards really loves Bam Adebayo and Erik Spoelstra. He loved his experience with them,” NBA media personality Bill Simmons said on a recent podcast.
“Don’t be surprised … story drop,” Simmons added. “Am I dropping it now?”
Both Adebayo and Spoelstra have spoken glowingly about the man leading this USA team in scoring.
“He’s authentically himself,” Adebayo said to The Star Tribune. “He’s not going to change.
“He’s going to be the same person every day, on the court, off the court.
“You see on TV, when some of y’all make these moments go viral. It’s really like, ‘This is just you’. This is one of the things I love about Ant. He’s himself. He’s not going to change.
“He’s one of those guys where he can say something wild, as we heard, but it’s him being himself.”
Anthony Edwards pats Bam Adebayo on the back. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“He wants to win, wants to be a part of winning,” Spoelstra added. “He’s dedicated to the process of it and he’s going to be him, and his personality.
“He’s not going to change just because he’s on a team of this caliber. I think that’s the beauty of his personality.”
Many are rightly pointing out Edwards recently signed a five-year contract extension tying him to the Wolves until 2028.
But a move doesn’t have to happen immediately. Paris might just be planting seeds that blossom down the road.
And it’s not unheard of for NBA players to push their way out of situations early. So remember this photo.
The Boomers have wrapped up their preparation for the Paris Games in dramatic fashion, securing a last-second 83-82 victory over France in their final warm-up game.
Australia was trailing 82-81 with 2.5 seconds on the clock before Josh Giddey, who was called the ‘SLOB Wizard’ during his time at Oklahoma City, proved why that nickname will continue to stick as he picked the perfect moment on the sideline out of bounds pass to find Dyson Daniels for the go-ahead score.
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It was surprising though just how open Daniels got, with a quick spin move from the Bendigo product seeing him get in front of the France defence before hitting the game-winner.
Daniels has been a revelation in Australia’s four warm-up games after making the World Cup squad last year but playing limited minutes.
It is clear Brian Goorjian has more trust in Daniels this time around and he is giving the Boomers coach no reason to question that, finishing the game against France with 14 points, five assists and just as many steals.
Daniels has been an absolute game-changer on defence but that was always expected to some extent given he has already established himself as one of the NBA’s most underrated players on that end of the floor.
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It is Daniels’ development and growing confidence with the ball in hand which is an added bonus for the Boomers.
It makes it easier for Goorjian to commit to more minutes for Daniels and his disruptive defence without sacrificing too much scoring, with the 21-year-old going 2-for-4 from deep and shooting 6-for-9 from the field in Monday morning’s win.
Daniels’ defence, of course, will also only further allow the Boomers to play the style of basketball they want to, with his stops creating transition opportunities as was the case in the first quarter when he broke up a pass which then led to a Patty Mills four-point play.
Speaking of Mills, he is starting to catch fire at the right moment after another impressive shooting display.
The veteran guard had a team-high 24 points, going 3-for-7 from downtown and 7-for-9 from the field, as he continues to put a concerning shooting slump earlier in the month behind him.
Mills had looked a shadow of his former self in exhibition games against China and was similarly ineffective as a shooter in Australia’s loss to Team USA in Abu Dhabi.
But Mills has since rebounded in a big way, first inspiring the Boomers to victory against Serbia before adding 15 points in the win against Puerto Rico.
Giddey, meanwhile, continued to impress with his ability to get downhill and into the paint as the Bulls guard recorded 20 points, six rebounds, eight assists, two steals, just as many blocks and seven turnovers.
There are injury concerns to come out of the game though, with ESPN’s Olgun Uluc reporting Dante Exum suffered a dislocated finger.
Jock Landale also only played nine minutes and was spotted sitting on the bench in the second half, although Uluc reported there is no injury concern for the Boomers big man.
Australia opens its Olympic campaign on Saturday evening against Spain.
Him being Patty Mills, who had gone 2-for-8 from the field in the defeat after a similarly concerning two warm-up games against China.
And while there is danger in reading too much into just one performance, Mills needed a game like the one he had on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.
The 35-year-old, who is set to play in his fifth Olympic Games, made a statement early and then came up clutch down the stretch to inspire the Boomers to a 84-73 win over Serbia.
Mills had 28 points after going 7-for-13 from the floor, hitting four 3-pointers to go with a pair of rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Patty Mills bounced back in a big way. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The game was in the balance late in the fourth quarter when Mills checked in, with six minutes left and Serbia leading 67-66.
But it was Mills magic from that point forward, with the veteran guard scoring six points to go with two rebounds, an assist and a steal to seal the win.
First, Mills drove towards the rim to collapse the defence with the shot clock ticking down and then kicked it out to an open Dyson Daniels who drained a deep 3-pointer.
Mills then sunk one from the mid-range and later forced a turnover from Ognjen Jaramaz, drawing a foul and converting both free throw attempts to put Australia ahead 73-67.
Mills missed his next 3-point attempt but flew to secure the offensive rebound, which later was converted into a Nick Kay triple, and then also hustled on the following possession for the defensive board.
The Mills-inspired flurry had the Boomers leading 76-67 and then an emphatic Exum jam extended the difference beyond double digits and Australia didn’t look back from that point.
Exum was also impressive off the bench with 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists while Josh Giddey scored 13 points but turned the ball over six times.
Elsewhere, after playing just a few minutes on Tuesday, Duop Reath didn’t see any playing time against Serbia and looks set for a very limited role in Australia’s Paris campaign.
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The Boomers jumped out to an early 8-4 lead as Mills put his shaky past few games behind him to catch fire.
Daniels once more looked confident and composed, finding a cutting Giddey with a nice pass as the Bulls guard drew the foul and made two free throws.
Mills then made his first two 3-point attempts while Serbia largely struggled to get its shots falling early.
Vanja Marinkovic made Serbia’s first 3-pointer to help close the gap as the Boomers fell behind 9-8, but it was short-lived as Australia quickly regained the advantage to go up 14-9.
Exum was injected into the game after just five minutes in place of Giddey and made an immediate impact, first driving to the rim and setting up Daniels for the flush before Mills dished it off to the Mavericks guard for the layup.
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The next string of changes saw Josh Green and Jack McVeigh enter the game for Kay and Daniels and while McVeigh missed his first two 3-point attempts, he showed no signs of hesitation as he drained a catch-and-shoot triple to put Australia ahead 17-11.
The Boomers finished the first quarter on top 20-15, impressing with their physicality and active hands on the defensive end to force turnovers and spark fastbreak opportunities.
That will continue to be a key part of the team’s identity and indicator of its success given the length and athleticism Australia boasts across the board.
Brian Goorjian went back to his starting line-up to open the second quarter before giving Matthew Dellavedova early minutes, having only put him into the game late against Team USA.
Josh Giddey had another solid game. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)Source: AFP
But no matter who was on the floor, there was seemingly little the Boomers could do to slow down Nikola Milutinov as the Serbian big man used his 7-foot-frame to his advantage on the inside with a quick eight points and four rebounds in a matter of minutes.
A Dellavedova turnover then gave Serbia the lead and while Australia was quickly able to jump back ahead, it didn’t take long for the pressure to ramp up once again as Jokic came back into the game.
The reigning NBA MVP immediately found Fililip Petrusev with a masterful lob pass and in general Serbia’s ball movement was much-improved with the Nuggets superstar on the floor, drawing level with the Boomers at 32-32.
Mills then splashed another triple before an aggressive Giddey earned an and-1 to put Australia ahead by six points.
But that lead evaporated by halftime as a sloppy finish saw the Boomers commit back-to-back turnovers, gifting Serbia a 40-39 lead after easy buckets in transition.
Australia responded early in the third quarter to regain the upperhand, with Giddey involved on both ends while Jock Landale drained a triple for his first points of the game.
Nikola Jokic passes the ball. (Photo by Christopher Pike/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
However, the seesawing nature of Wednesday morning’s game continued as the Boomers struggled to find answers for dealing with Serbia’s size in the paint.
Giddey, who showed more confidence in his mid-range game on Wednesday, pulled up to knock down a jumper to close out the quarter and give Australia a 62-59 lead.
Serbia took the lead right back to open the fourth through back-to-back Aleksa Avramovic buckets before Joe Ingles, who saw his first minutes midway into the third, found a cutting Landale for the finish.
It should have been a second assist for Ingles as that two-man game with Landale continued to develop but the Boomers big man missed the open dunk, with Serbia capitalising on the other end with a highlight Nikola Milutinov alley oop.
Turnovers were only making it harder for Australia to get into any sort of offensive rhythm, but it was the experience and composure of Mills down the stretch that turned the game.
A late blitz from the Tokyo Games bronze medallists gave the Americans an almighty scare during Tuesday morning’s Olympic warm-up at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena, with USA coach Steve Kerr commending the Boomers after the six-point win.
“They were great. They fought, they were really physical,” said Kerr, who tinkered with his team’s starting line-up and rotations.
“They took it to us in the last quarter and a half and really made it a game.”
Australia’s Jock Landale showed why he was so sorely missed during last year’s FIBA World Cup, leading the charge with 20 points and seven offensive rebounds, while Chicago Bulls recruit Josh Giddey contributed 17 points.
“The fact we were six points off a team like that at this part of our preparation for the Olympics is a great stepping stone and we’ve got so many things to clean up in there,” Giddey said.
“We’re building really good momentum going forward.”
However, Australian basketball champion Andrew Bogut claimed the result flattered the Boomers, who at one stage were trailing by 23 points in the third quarter.
“But I don’t think that’s important. This result isn’t as important as getting through rotations, trying different things and making sure we have no injuries.”
Josh Giddey of Australia. Photo by Christopher Pike/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Bogut also questioned Australia’s lack of outside shooting, pondering who the Boomers can turn to for knocking down three-pointers.
“(Boomers coach Brian) Goorjian’s biggest concern is when we are playing and flowing well, who’s going to knock down long-range shots for us?” Bogut continued.
“(Jack) McVeigh comes into that. He had nine points tonight … didn’t make a three, but was aggressive. You’ve got to look to him to knock down those threes for them.
“They’re a different look with him on the floor because I think he brings something a little bit different to Nick Kay.”
The most glaring weakest link in Australia’s team, according to Bogut, remains Boomers veteran Patty Mills.
The 35-year-old, about to embark on his fifth Olympic campaign, was 1-for-5 from deep and 2-for-8 from the field while conceding five turnovers against Team USA. The Boomers were -16 during his 22 minutes on the floor.
Mills also looked off the pace against China earlier this month, with Bogut calling for Goorjian to bite the bullet and start Mills on the bench.
“Patty wasn’t great tonight,” Bogut continued.
“There is concerns obviously looking at the way he’s playing, but that’s been a story for him in lead-up games for tournaments, then he has a great tournament.
“They’re going to need more from him.”
Former NBL star Brad Newley agreed: “There’s something to look at with Dante (Exum). I enjoyed his impact.
“Do we start with him and maybe bring Pat off the bench as more of a pinch-hitter? That could be something worth looking at.”
Brian Goorjian, head coach of Australia. Photo by Christopher Pike/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
ESPN’s Olgun Uluc meanwhile wrote on X: “Patty Mills was 2/8 FG, and a -16 with 5 TOV. A role reduction seems the obvious outcome here. No reason not to give (Josh) Green the bulk of those minutes.”
Neroli Meadows said “+/- doesn’t tell the full story obviously, but sometimes it backs up what the naked eye sees … changing of the guard?”
However, Bogut warned against reading too much into Tuesday’s game against Team USA, declaring that Australia’s upcoming match against Serbia would be more relevant for the Boomers’ Olympic preparation.
“Serbia’s going to grind you out,” Bogut explained.
“They’re going to play half-court battle, the high-low game at times.
“It’s much more of a similar style to 80 per cent of teams you’re going to play in the Olympics.
“I look forward to seeing how we react to having to grind out possessions.”
The Boomers’ final warm-up game against Serbia gets underway on Wednesday morning at 2am AEST.
