Thank you all for your company today. Jack Snape’s match report is now live.

Stay tuned for plenty of reaction from Pasadena, then the squad announcements tomorrow as World Cup fever ramps up.

Five weeks, three countries, 48 teams, 16 host cities, 104 matches. And I’ll be part of the team bringing you all the action, goal by goal by bloody goal. Adios!

The Socceroos are next in action on Sunday against Switzerland. That’s a 5am AEST kick-off. Then they’re into World Cup mode with Turkiye up first in Vancouver. That one is Saturday, 13 June 9:00pm local / 2:00pm AEST (Sunday, 14 June).

Mexico will also announce their World Cup squad tomorrow, then their next assignment is a friendly with Serbia in Toluca on Thursday. After that it’s the World Cup opener against South Africa on June 11.

I don’t think it will be a great suprise when Popovic announces his World Cup 26 tomorrow. He left out Borrello, Gauci, and Yengi from today’s squad, which means he realistically only has one more decision to make – who flys home to accommodate Cristian Volpato?

Geria, Rowles, Degenek, Devlin, and Boyle were the players to see no game time today, while Burgess and Mabil only saw the final couple of minutes.

In terms of individuals, I don’t think anyone played themselves out of contention. Mexico clearly targeted Italiano on the right, and Australia improved when Trewin took up that post. On the other side, Bos seems like too much of a weapon to me to be asked to play wing-back. I would push him further forward and start Behich behind him.

Set-piece delivery needs to improve, especially from Metcalfe, or whomever is entrusted with left-footed crosses.

Ruthless edge needed in attack

I agree with much of Chris’s assessment. Australia (and Popovic in particular) just don’t look like they want to play front-foot football, and are not set up accordingly. They looked dangerous for half an hour after half-time playing an aggressive transitional style, but there is an absence of ruthless quality in attack to feed off such scraps. Toure and Hrustic both should have scored clean through but neither looked dead-eyed in the moment.

For now at least, set-pieces to Souttar do look like the route one to goal (pun intended), which is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but will clearly make long portions of matches feel ugly.

“Popovic is probably backed up by data in setting up to nick a goal or two, which would be enough to sneak us into the knockouts with three points,” emails Chris Paraskevas.

It’s ugly to watch but look at Mexico: barely able to string three passes together, and despite being below par and conceding a soft set-piece goal, we might be ahead.

But therein lies the issue: the margins are probably too fine for this gameplan, given the absence of bonafide EPL stars, who deal with those margins on a daily basis. That of course leads to the next issue: a dearth of players with the technical quality and physical attributes play on the “front foot”.

The biggest positive tonight? Souttar hasn’t been injured and he’s the one player in this team who has proved he can affect the game at a World Cup at both ends of the pitch.

A lot rests on his fitness.

Mexico dominated the first half and led deservedly 1-0 at the break. Australia dominated the second half but failed to convert the two best opportunities of the match.

That is now seven matches in 2026 for Mexico, during which they have conceded just one goal and kept six clean sheets.

For Australia it’s a fourth consecutive away defeat, failing to score in their last three on the road.

90+6 mins: Hrustic crosses, Mexico head clear, the full-time whistle blows.

90+5 mins: Circati’s long ball is headed behind. Just seconds remaining for Australia to take the corner.

90+4 mins: Vellupilay concedes a free-kick on halfway fighting for a ball there to be won. Australia will have one last go for an equaliser.

90+3 mins: Souttar finds Mabil with a penetrating pass but the forward lacks conviction, trying a hopeful ball into the box when he could have run at the retreating Mexican defence.

90+2 mins: As you might expect from a half featuring 19 substitutions, this contest is starting to lack structure.

90+1 mins: Five minutes of stoppage time to be played.

90 mins: Mabil comes on for Irvine, Burgess for Herrington.

89 mins: Lovely hip sway from Hrustic allows Irankunda his first opportunity to run at the Mexican defence, but the black wall stands firm and the Australian is robustly robbed man and ball.

88 mins: Irvine gets forward and runs the right channel. He lays it off neatly to Irankunda and returns for the one-two, but the chip into the area is headed clear before a shooting opportunity can materilaise.

87 mins: Souttar has some rare space on the right, steps onto his left foot and curls over a wicked cross. Irankunda misses with the bicycle kick and there are enough other gold shirts in the box ready to snaffle a half-chance but the ball never bounces their way.

86 mins: Souttar and Gimenez have a fair old ding-dong that ends with the Mexican picking himself up from the deck with a face like thunder and looking to square up to the big Australian, only to find himself going forehead to sternum. Circati acts as peacemaker.

85 mins: Australia have been becalmed for the past 10 minutes or so but are back on the ball, building from the back. It comes to nought initially, but the intensity to win the ball back high (gegenpressing if you will) once again proves the Socceroos’ most productive route to goal, until Irankunda runs out of room.

83 mins: “It’s not where you start the pull, it’s where it finishes,” explains Andy Harper on TV. Referring to a potential shirt tug near the Australian box, in case you were in any doubt.

81 mins: Behich and Irankunda replace Toure and Bos for the final 10 minutes.

80 mins: Annnnnnnddddddd…. with 11 minutes to go the players (most of whom are now substitutes) head off for a drinks break. The temperature is 18C. What a farce. Half-time, by the way, was 19 minutes long. Fifa, you are ruining the sport over which you have custody.

79 mins: Mexico are back in this contest after half-an-hour or so of Australian dominance.

78 mins: Mora eventually takes the official free-kick and clips it straight into the wall.

76 mins: That was a weird reaction. It wasn’t even a controversial decision by the referee, who was clearly setting the Australian wall and spraying his magic shaving foam on the pitch.

75 mins: Souttar is penalised for going through the back of Gallardo just outside the box. Mexico take a quick free-kick and put the ball in the net, but the referee was still busy setting the Australian wall. Mexico lose their bundle in spectacular fashion and all 22 players come together in a series of heated gesticulations.

73 mins: Changes 10 and 11 for Mexico with Vargas and Gomez coming on. The former is the first Alaskan-born international footballer, apparently.

71 mins: Trewin has shone since his introduction. He intercepts to allow Bos to chip over a cross that Mexico clear. The Socceroos are pressing for an equaliser.

69 mins: 78,479 fans inside the Rose Bowl today. The mostly Mexican contingent have created a terrific atmosphere with bursts of brass escaping from the stands to the pitchside microphones.

67 mins: On clear chances Australia should now be in front.

65 mins: Hrustic has to score with his first touch! Australia prosper in transition down the right, Trewin feeds the ball to his playmaker on the edge of the box, the first touch creates the one-on-one but Ochoa is out quickly to smother and win the individual duel.

64 mins: Australia are now readying four subs of their own.

62 mins: Australia have had two-thirds of possession this half. A much improved showing.

60 mins: Following their four half-time subs, Mexico make five more! One of those is 17 year old Gilberto Mora, who became his country’s youngest ever international when he debuted at 16.