Harry Kewell, the head coach of Hanoi FC, did not hold back in his criticism of the Australian national team after their recent 0-2 defeat to the United States in the World Cup 2026. The match, held in Seattle, left many fans and analysts disappointed, especially following Australia's earlier victory over Turkey.

In the match against the USA, Australia entered with high expectations but faltered significantly. The first half saw the team collapse as defender Cameron Burgess scored an own goal, followed by a second goal from Alex Freeman just before halftime. Despite an initial offside call against the USA's goal, VAR confirmed the goal, leading to further disappointment for the Australian side.

Kewell, reflecting on the match during a commentary on SBS, stated, "This is not good enough. It feels like we were frozen on a big stage." He criticized the tactical choices made by the Australian team, suggesting they lost the cohesion that had been evident in their earlier performance against Turkey.

According to Kewell, the USA had thoroughly researched Australia's playing style and effectively pressured them, forcing the players into a panic mode where they could only resort to long passes. He noted, "There was no continuity. We were constantly under pressure and couldn't string together a few passes. They locked us down on both flanks and made Australia look really poor."

Kewell also expressed discomfort while watching the game, as he believed Australia had many players capable of performing better than what was displayed. He pointed to the second half as evidence of potential, where Australia created more pressure and forced the USA to retreat defensively.

In addition to the criticism of the team's performance, coach Tony Popovic faced scrutiny for his personnel decisions. He notably left out Nestory Irankunda and Conor Metcalfe, both of whom had scored against Turkey, opting to keep them on the bench. It was only after their introduction in the second half that Australia's play noticeably improved.

Many experts and fans voiced their confusion over Popovic's choices, with sports journalist Mark Gottlieb questioning on social media, "I can't understand why Irankunda and Metcalfe were on the bench. We played much better when they were on the field."

Former England striker Wayne Rooney echoed similar sentiments on BBC, suggesting that the exclusion of the two goal-scoring wingers severely hampered Australia’s attacking strategy, leaving them vulnerable to the USA's dominance.

Following the match, Popovic acknowledged that his team played sluggishly and was outmatched in every challenge. He admitted, "They were faster, stronger, and won every second-ball situation. When that happens, the game becomes very difficult." This defeat has put Australia in a challenging position as they head into their final group stage match of the World Cup 2026.