Jason Geria insists the Socceroos will not seek a "truce" with Paraguay in their final World Cup pool match, despite a draw being enough to see Australia progress as Group D winners. The match takes place in San Francisco on Thursday (Friday AEST).
Both Teams Could Progress with a Draw
A draw would place Australia second in Group D behind the USA, while Paraguay would likely advance as one of the best third-placed teams. However, Geria, who came on at half-time against the USA to help steady the ship, said the team will not aim for that result.
"I think you're cheating the game in a way if you're looking to just call a truce with 10 minutes to go, that doesn't seem right in my opinion," Geria said. "Yeah, we could both progress with a point, that's evident, but I don't think it's in us to just concede or just take the foot off the gas."
Mathematical Simulations Favor Australia
According to mathematical simulations of the tournament, a loss for Paraguay increases their chance of elimination more than an Australian loss does for the Socceroos. Geria, however, said the team is not looking deeply at the permutations. "We want to win every game, regardless of who the opponent is or what the situation is," he said. "I don't think if it is 1-1 with five minutes left, or 50 seconds left, it's going to be us taking our foot off the pedal."
Socceroos Aim for Strong Start
The Socceroos were stunned early by the intensity of the USA. Geria said the team wanted to start better against a "tough" opposition who are going to "leave everything out there." He noted the high stakes and recalled significant Socceroos moments in final group matches, such as Harry Kewell's goal against Croatia in 2006 and Mat Leckie's winner against Denmark in 2022.
Geria urged school principals and bosses to show the match, even if it means an interruption to class or work. "Let them watch it," he said. "12pm on a Friday [AEST], it doesn't get much better than that leading into the weekend, so if they could let their employees or let their students watch, I think that would be amazing."
Fans and Family Support
The Socceroos met 400 travelling fans, family and friends at training in Oakland on Monday, after the players were also afforded time with their loved ones the previous day. Gianfranco Circati, father of Socceroos defender Alessandro and a former professional player from Italy who played for Perth Glory, said he was proud of his son. Circati junior was born in Fidenza, near Parma, but chose to represent Australia, where he grew up.
"Ale was born in Italy, but he lived all his life in Australia, so he's Aussie," Circati senior said. "He's been having the mullet [haircut] for the last six or seven years, so I'm not very happy with that, but it doesn't matter."
Thousands of Fans in San Francisco
Thousands of Australian supporters have been streaming into San Francisco ahead of the clash against Paraguay. Many will frequent the Bay Area's bars and beer gardens. Circati and his wife have a different approach. "I don't go to the pub because I don't drink, but it's myself and my wife. We just go around, we look at the history of the city, we do tours, we do galleries, we do the theatre, we basically learn a bit of the history of the city that we visit."
Former Socceroo Josip Skoko is in the United States with a traveling group. He played with coach Tony Popovic the last time Australia played Paraguay in a 2006 friendly, but admitted he could not remember much from the game. Skoko said he has had "general chit chat" with Popovic during the tournament, without going into deep discussions about the players or tactics, but is optimistic about their chances. "I feel that they're in a really good position," Skoko said. "I think they can get to the next round even without a result. Not that we're looking for that."
