Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAfter emerging through Melbourne City\u2019s academy and scoring six goals in 35 games for Macarthur FC, Borges Rodrigues secured a move to recently promoted Coventry City before spending this season on loan at Wigan Athletic.<\/p>\n
Borges Rodrigues has also been used as a wing back this season and it\u2019s an area where Popovic wants more depth.<\/p>\n
Popovic called up a further 10 players this week after his initial eight selections. He will need to name a squad of 26 on June 1.<\/p>\n
The latest intake also included Cameron Burgess, Mohamed Toure, Nestory Irankunda, Alex Robertson, Ajdin Hrustic and goalkeeper Joe Gauci, who had fallen out of favour after being used by Popovic in his first window in charge.<\/p>\n
Melbourne City goalkeeper Patrick Beach is also in the four-way battle for three goalkeeper spots, with Mat Ryan expected to claim the No.1 jersey.<\/p>\n
Gauchi, who\u2019s on loan at Port Vale from Aston Villa, hasn\u2019t featured in a Socceroos squad since October, when he remained an unused substitute during friendlies against Canada and the United States.<\/p>\n
Beach has leapfrogged Gauci over the past six months, earning his maiden Socceroos cap in the 1-0 loss to Venezuela last November and continuing to impress during Melbourne City\u2019s run to the A-League finals.<\/p>\n
Toure in running for award after \u2018crazy\u2019 ride<\/b><\/p>\n
Mo Toure\u2019s blistering form in the Championship has the Socceroos striker in the frame for the competition\u2019s player of the month for April, and he\u2019s been reflecting on his \u201ccrazy\u201d ride since joining the club in January.<\/p>\n
Toure\u2019s final day goal at Hull City took his tally to 12 goal contributions in his first 11 Championship appearances, following a winter move from Denmark.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s actually been crazy; it\u2019s wild as well, nothing I expected,\u201d Toure told local media this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, I always expected to progress in my game and get better, but I feel like the leaps have surprised both a lot of people and me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was one of 13 Australians playing in the Championship last season, including close mate Nestroy Irankunda at Watford.<\/p>\n
\u201cExciting. Obviously I know that league very well, and I\u2019ve seen a lot of the games that he\u2019s played, and he looks full of confidence,\u201d said Popovic. \u201cHis team has really played well in the second half of the year. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo they\u2019ve done a great job, and I think that has really helped him to settle in quickly, scoring early, so he\u2019s full of confidence and I look forward to seeing him soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Popovic said the young guns showed the Socceroos have a rosy future.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all excited about the youngsters,\u201d he said. \u201cI think I\u2019m the first to say that I\u2019m very excited about the young group coming through and I\u2019m sure in the next four and eight years we should have a good core group of young players to move the Socceroos forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>Mohamed Toure of Norwich City. Photo by Ashley Allen\/Getty Images<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIrankunda has already been the subject of speculation linking him to Premier League clubs Everton and Crystal Palace after some eye-catching displays.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat type of (transfer) speculation is positive, so there\u2019s nothing negative about that,\u201d said Popovic.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the boy\u2019s doing well and big clubs are looking at him, that\u2019s wonderful. So we shouldn\u2019t look at that as anything that\u2019s not in a positive spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Irvine\u2019s squeaky bum time<\/b><\/p>\n
Socceroos captain Jackson Irvine faces a nerve wracking final day relegation shootout in Germany after his St Pauli team suffered a 2-1 defeat away to RB Leipzig in the penultimate round.<\/p>\n
St Pauli will host Wolfsburg in a do-or-die clash at the Millerntor-Stadion on Sunday night at 11.30pm AEST, with both clubs level on points and fighting to avoid automatic relegation from the Bundesliga.<\/p>\n
Irvine played the full match in St Pauli\u2019s loss to Leipzig \u2013 a third straight defeat, that left the Hamburg club second from bottom on the table, level on 26 points with Wolfsburg, who also lost over the weekend to champions Bayern Munich.<\/p>\n
He had a late assist in the 3-1 defeat.<\/p>\n
Yazbek facing race against time<\/b><\/p>\n
There are growing concerns surrounding Socceroos midfielder Patrick Yazbek after the Nashville SC player was ruled out of his team\u2019s latest MLS game with a quad injury.<\/p>\n
Yazbek missed Nashville\u2019s 2-2 draw against Socceroos teammate Kye Rowles\u2019 DC United, with his coach BJ Callaghan confirming the midfielder would not return to club football before the World Cup break.<\/p>\n
\u201cPatrick suffered a quad injury \u2013 in terms of a specific timetable, I don\u2019t have one,\u201d Callaghan said. \u201cI can tell you that he will be at least out\u2026 he won\u2019t be back before the World Cup break.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a key piece to what we do, both with the ball and without the ball, but it\u2019s going to be an opportunity for guys to step up.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>Patrick Yazbek of Australia. Photo by Robert Cianflone\/Getty Images<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nNeymar loses the plot<\/b><\/p>\n
Neymar\u2019s late bid to force his way into Brazil\u2019s World Cup squad took a dramatic turn this week as the superstar forward scored a worldie for Santos just days after slapping a teenage teammate in training.<\/p>\n
As always with Neymar, brilliance and controversy follow him wherever he goes in equal measures.<\/p>\n
The 34-year-old inspired Santos to a crucial 2-0 victory over Red Bull Bragantino, ending his club\u2019s seven-game winless streak with a performance that had Brazilians frothing about his chances of a shock World Cup recall under Carlo Ancelotti.<\/p>\n
That came a few days after Santos opened an internal investigation following an altercation involving Neymar and teammate Robinho J\u00fanior, the 18-year-old son of former Brazil star Robinho.<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>SANTOS, BRAZIL – MAY 10: Neymar of Santos celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during a match between Santos and Bragantino as part of Brasileirao 2026 at Vila Belmiro Stadium on May 10, 2026 in Santos, Brazil. (Photo by Miguel Schincariol\/Getty Images)<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAccording to Brazilian media reports, the incident was sparked when Neymar was angered at the apparent disrespect of Robinho J\u00fanior showing him up by dribbling past him at training.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want an apology in front of the press, here it is,\u201d Neymar told reporters. \u201cI had already apologised to him and to his family. I crossed the line.\u201d<\/p>\n
The teen apparently accepted Neymar\u2019s apology, saying \u201cEverything is resolved. It\u2019s a situation that upset me because he\u2019s been my idol since childhood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI talked about it with my parents and I accept his apology.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pair appeared to have moved on with Neymar hugging Robinho J\u00fanior during his goal celebration.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a boy I like very much, for whom I have a special affection,\u201d Neymar said. \u201cIt happens in football; you argue with your friend, your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neymar, 34, has not represented Brazil since October 2023 because of recurring injury problems and appeared increasingly unlikely to return to the national set-up earlier this year, before Ancelotti named him in a 55-player long list for the tournament.<\/p>\n
Pulisic in the spotlight as form fades<\/b><\/p>\n
As if \u2018Captain America\u2019 Christian Pulisic was not already carrying the weight of a nation heading into a home World Cup, the USA skipper\u2019s lead up in 2026 has been nothing short of horrendous as he finds himself battling a form slump and injuries at the worst possible time.<\/p>\n
Pulisic, who plays his club football for AC Milan, has gone 17 club games without a goal this calendar year and missed the weekend\u2019s 3-2 loss to Atalanta with a glute muscle injury.<\/p>\n
Pulisic is on the latest cover of Time Magazine, which described him as \u201cthe most influential American men\u2019s soccer player in the country\u2019s 250-year history\u201d, a label that will only add more pressure on him as he leads the team into Group D action against the Socceroos, Paraguay and T\u00fcrkiye.<\/p>\n
While Pulisic has struggled with injuries and inconsistency, US teammate Weston McKennie has produced one of the strongest seasons of his career at Juventus heading into the World Cup, and has emerged as a key man for Mauricio Pochettino\u2019s side.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I feel fear. I feel butterflies, which is normal,\u201d McKennie told FIFA this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t feel butterflies, it means you don\u2019t care about what you\u2019re doing. I feel like I\u2019m a player that thrives under pressure, I like to have that responsibility on my shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n
At 27, Pulisic remains the poster boy of American \u2018soccer\u2019, but McKennie\u2019s form and mentality may become just as important to the United States\u2019 hopes of finally making a genuine breakthrough at the World Cup.<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>Chelsea’s US midfielder Christian Pulisic.<\/span>Source: AFP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u2018When I think of soccer, I don\u2019t think about the USA\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n
Big mouth ESPN broadcaster Stephen A. Smith has never been afraid to voice a booming opinion, and he\u2019s taken a dig at the US team in a recent podcast appearance.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s be clear, I\u2019m not that knowledgeable about soccer, we ain\u2019t gonna lie to nobody about that,\u201d Smith said on The Last Run.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know but I will tell you this. When I think of soccer, I do not think of the USA.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am happy when I see us competitive, but when I see Mexico, when I see Brazil, when I see some of these teams in Europe, I am loving it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith also tackled one of football\u2019s biggest debates, when asked to choose the better player between Lionel Messi, who plays in the USA, and Cristiano Ronaldo, the World Cup\u2019s two biggest names this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cImma say Messi,\u201d said Smith.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw a guy who was considered to be past his prime, an old man in soccer parlance, who came over to the United States and I saw him last season toy with young men.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was like they were toddlers and he was a parent. Doing what he wanted, when he wanted and just having fun with them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not saying Ronaldo couldn\u2019t do those things, especially against competition in the United States, but sometimes Ronaldo makes things look hard.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut with Messi, things just don\u2019t look hard. When I am monitoring greatness, it\u2019s almost like the marathon runner. It\u2019s those who make the hard look easy that distinguishes the difference between two people who are great.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iran confirm attendance despite on going war<\/b><\/p>\n
Iran has confirmed it will compete at the tournament but wants guarantees over visas, security and the treatment of players and officials amid ongoing political tensions.<\/p>\n
Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran president Mehdi Taj said the country would \u201cdefinitely\u201d participate in the tournament despite growing concerns surrounding travel restrictions and diplomatic relations with the United States.<\/p>\n
However, Taj stressed Iran expected assurances before the tournament begins next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll players and technical staff, especially those who served their military service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, should be granted visas without problems,\u201d Taj said, according to comments carried by state-run agency IRNA.<\/p>\n
He added Iran would compete at the World Cup \u201cwithout retreating from our beliefs, culture and convictions\u201d.<\/p>\n
Iran captain Mehdi Taremi, one of the country\u2019s most recognisable footballers, completed his mandatory military service through the Revolutionary Guard during his youth, potentially placing him under additional scrutiny when travelling.<\/p>\n
New injury scare dominates lead up<\/b><\/p>\n
In 2002 David Beckham\u2019s foot injury introduced the word \u2018metatarsal\u2019 to the football fan\u2019s lexicon. This year we\u2019re hearing more and more about a new blight on players before the tournament.<\/p>\n
Cole Palmer, Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Argentine teenage sensation Franco Mastantuono have all battled forms of \u201cpubalgia\u201d over the past year, a complicated groin-related condition that is increasingly becoming a major issue.<\/p>\n
The injury, which affects the muscles, tendons and nerves surrounding the groin and pelvic area, has proven particularly difficult to diagnose and treat, with players often struggling through pain for months before fully recovering.<\/p>\n
England star Palmer recently opened up on the severity of the issue after a tough season with Chelsea.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never been injured like this before,\u201d Palmer told The Guardian.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sat there on the side for over three months. I came back in early December, Leeds away. I came on for 30 minutes, and I couldn\u2019t even sprint. I could just about pass it. I couldn\u2019t play long balls, couldn\u2019t even shoot. But I wanted to play so much. I was trying to play and it was just too strange.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know how to manage it. That\u2019s probably part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Palmer has missed more than 20 matches for club and country this season and admitted earlier this year that even when he was playing, basic actions like shooting and passing remained painful.<\/p>\n
Barcelona wonderkid Yamal has also dealt with recurring groin complications after undergoing a specialised procedure late last year, raising concerns over the workload being placed on teenage stars before they even reach their first World Cup.<\/p>\n
The issue is not entirely new though. Lionel Messi famously struggled with pubalgia for years during his Barcelona career and described it in 2019 as an injury that \u201ccannot be solved overnight\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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