<\/p>\n
As Tony Popovic puts the current Socceroos squad through their final World Cup preparations this week, he could be forgiven for casting his mind back 20 years.<\/p>\n
After all, the warm sunshine of Florida and California during the pre-tournament training camp may have drawn parallels to a sun-soaked Kaiserslautern for the Socceroos\u2019 first World Cup game in 34 years.<\/p>\n
\ufeffGet all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n However, the current set-up in the United States stands in stark contrast to the chilly temperatures of the southern Netherlands where the 2006 Socceroos \u2014 which included Popovic \u2014 prepared for their shot at glory with a camp described as like \u201ctorture\u201d. <\/p>\n Then Socceroos boss Guus Hiddink had been coaching Dutch powerhouse PSV while juggling his Australian commitments.<\/p>\n It therefore made sense for PSV\u2019s recently redeveloped headquarters in Eindhoven to serve as the starting point for what would be an unforgettable campaign.<\/p>\n But before the Socceroos could be put through their paces, they first had to shake off a major hoodoo.<\/p>\n In a series of articles looking back on the 2006 World Cup, foxsports.com.au spoke with some of those Australians who were there when the Socceroos ended the nation\u2019s World Cup drought!<\/i><\/p>\n INSIDE AUSSIES\u2019 REVENGE PLOT TO END WORLD CUP HEARTBREAK<\/b><\/p>\n Hiddink took over the Socceroos job from Frank Farina in 2005 ahead of the World Cup qualifier playoff against Uruguay.<\/p>\n The renowned Dutchman was aggressively headhunted by Football Federation Australia\u2019s Frank Lowy and John O\u2019Neill to end the nation\u2019s World Cup drought after playoff heartbreak against Uruguay in 2001, Iran in 1997 and Argentina in 1993.<\/p>\n SCHEDULE: FIFA World Cup 2026 schedule with AEST start times and dates<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Hiddink famously took South Korea to the semi-finals of their home World Cup in 2002, and the Australian hierarchy wanted the former Netherlands and Real Madrid to manager to work his magic with the Socceroos.<\/p>\n The first task was to get past Uruguay in yet another intercontinental playoff.<\/p>\n The Uruguayans gave the Australians hell when the Socceroos made the almost day-long journey to Montevideo four years earlier.<\/p>\n Farina\u2019s team were ambushed at the airport by a local mob who cursed, jostled and spat at the players in the arrivals hall after customs officers put them through lengthy bag searches.<\/p>\n Once at the team hotel, locals made noise outside all night to try disrupting their sleep.<\/p>\n The hostility then spilt onto the pitch as the hosts picked up a 3-0 win to overcome Australia\u2019s 1-0 lead courtesy of a Kevin Muscat penalty in the first leg at the MCG.<\/p>\n In 2005, Hiddink ensured there would be no repeat.<\/p>\n \u201cI was informed by staff of what had happened in 2001 against Uruguay and read reports about how chaotic it was for the Australian team in Montevideo and all the provocations … that\u2019s why I organised a training camp in Buenos Aires and to go into Uruguay at the latest hour,\u201d he told SBS a decade later.<\/p>\n There are no direct commercial flights from Uruguay to Australia.<\/p>\n So, the FFA organised with Qantas for the Socceroos to have their own private plane fly them direct from Montevideo to Sydney, with a brief stopover in the Cook Islands.<\/p>\n The Boeing 767 was decked out with massage facilities to allow the players to recover during the trip.<\/p>\n Qantas sponsored the Socceroos at the time and the connection between the airline and team even led to the quirky scenes of Hollywood star John Travolta being at the game.<\/p>\n Travolta was even in the dressing room after the game, singing Grease hit You\u2019re the One That I Want and the Australian national anthem as part of the celebrations with the team.<\/p>\n Before it got that point, the Australians decided it was time for some payback on their rivals \u2013 who had grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first leg.<\/p>\n Hiddink arranged a mass booking of seats on flights to Sydney to disrupt Uruguay\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the way back, we had our private plane and I think Uruguay struggled get into Australia fresh, while we recovered fast after the 1-0 (first leg) loss,\u201c Hiddink recalled to SBS.<\/p>\n \u201cUruguay had to travel through Miami, Paris or whatever … they had to go through regular flights, and we also planned to go through regular flights and had some chairs blocked at the latest hour.\u201d<\/p>\n The Australian public also decided it was time for revenge.<\/p>\n Many of the 82,698 fans in Sydney on Wednesday the 16th of November, 2005, booed the Uruguayan anthem.<\/p>\n The home crowd\u2019s first moment of jubilation for the night came shortly after the hour mark when Hiddink brought Harry Kewell off the bench and the then-Liverpool star accidentally assisted Mark Bresciano\u2019s equaliser on aggregate.<\/p>\n Kewell not starting that night was a big surprise, but it would not be the last eyebrow-raising decision of Hiddink\u2019s reign.<\/p>\n A nervy tie eventually went to penalties as the Socceroos held firm defensively for the remainder of the 90 minutes plus extra time.<\/p>\n Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer was first the hero with two clutch saves in the shootout.<\/p>\n Then, Hiddink\u2019s first objective was completed when John Aloisi stepped up to be the hero and ran around Sydney\u2019s Olympic Stadium waving his first above his head in one of the most euphoric scenes in Australian sporting history.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were talking about that moment so many times, how important that moment was gonna be one day if we have a qualifier for World Cup,\u201d Aloisi told SBS on the 20th anniversary last year. <\/p>\n \u201cThen obviously, when you accomplish it, the realisation of satisfaction and the overwhelming sense of like relief that football was on the map and people were taking it seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/b><\/p>\n \ufeff\u2018Not what football is about\u2019: Socceroo opens up on \u2018horrible\u2019 scenes in cruel end to failed fairytale<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n \ufeff\u2018Sick of it\u2019: Socceroos fire back at US great\u2019s \u2018rubbish\u2019 swipe as hosts handed reality check<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n