World Cup: Australia’s coach indifferent after losing to U.S., but his Socceroos look ordinary

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Don’t include Australia’s lame duck Dutch coach, Pim Verbeek, among those impressed by the U.S. team’s 3-1 victory over the Socceroos on Saturday. Verbeek, who is stepping down after the World Cup to become Morocco’s national youth coach, dismissed the loss as irrelevant and said his players’ confidence would not be affected. ‘I’m not concerned,’ Verbeek said. ‘They [the American players] did not create that many chances in the first half and it was only when we were pushing forward that chances seemed to fall to them. ‘That sort of thing is all about organization, and we still have time to work on that. We will find out next week whether my players are ready. I’m not worried about a game like this.’ That is all very well, but Australia plays, in order, Germany, Ghana and Serbia in the first round, starting with the three-time world champions on June 13 in Durban, South Africa. If a so-so American team can score three goals against the Aussies, imagine what the Germans might do. As the Sydney Morning Herald reported Sunday, the Australians ‘were outmuscled and outplayed’ by the Americans in the first half. Truth be told, Australia is an ordinary team, filled with players who run forever, tackle hard and fight for every ball, but as far as creativity, ingenuity or something out of the ordinary is concerned, Verbeek’s side simply does not have it. Forward Tim Cahill and goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer are a cut above the rest, but otherwise the talent pool is shallow. A first-round exit is very much in the cards. -- Grahame L. Jones, reporting from Johannesburg