Have your say: who wins the match?By Latest Posts3.45amIrankunda on the bench as Popovic surprises us all againBy Once again, Tony Popovic has sprung a couple of big surprises in selection. And they do not involve Maty Ryan or Jackson Irvine, who remain on the bench, meaning Patrick Beach and Paul Okon jnr (or Paul Okon-Engstler) retain their spots.The surprises are up front. Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe, the two goalscorers against Turkey, are on the bench. Mathew Leckie and Nishan Velupillay, one of Popovic’s old favourites from Melbourne Victory, come into the starting line-up instead.Velupillay hasn’t had the best season in the A-League but every time he has been called upon for the Socceroos, he has delivered. This will be his ninth cap.Irankunda, I would imagine, will come on in the second half and aim to punish the USA’s tiring legs.3.43amPulisic out! No ‘Captain America’ for the US teamBy After a week of will he, won’t he? US star winger Christian Pulisic has not been named to play against the Socceroos in a major injury blow to the Americans.The winger came off at halftime in the US’s 4-1 opening game win against Paraguay and spent the week training away from the rest of the US squad as he attempted to overcome a calf injury. Forward Ricardo Pepi will start in his place. “Christian is not available,” US coach Mauricio Pochettino told US Fox Sports. “The evolution is really well. Today, he was training in the morning, in the camp, and I’ve seen, the feelings are good. I hope that as soon as possible, he can be ready to be selected again and be part of the team.” 3.32amGet to know the SocceroosBy Pinned post from 3.31amHave your say: who wins the match?By 3.31amWhat the Socceroos group is looking like ahead of the matchBy 3.31amHow the US v Socceroos clash could trigger an actual earthquakeBy The Socceroos arrive at Seattle’s Lumen Field for their crunch Group D clash against a US national team which is unbeaten at the venue – thanks in large part to a not-so-secret weapon.Lumen, the home of current Super Bowl champions the Seattle Seahawks and temporarily renamed Seattle Stadium for the World Cup, is known worldwide as one of the noisiest stadiums in sport. For a time, it held the Guinness World Record for the loudest noise recorded at an outdoor stadium, when the roar of the crowd measured 137 decibels.Lumen Field was built with harsh surfaces to generate as much noise as possible.AP Photo/Lindsey WassonThat is about the level you’d get from standing near a jet as it took off, louder than an ambulance siren and well above the level that is comfortable for a human ear. And the ground, built in 2002, was specifically designed that way.Read about it here. 3.31amWhy Mike Grella’s Socceroos slander rings so hollowBy The most famous quote in Australian-American sporting history is a misquote.Gary Hall jnr did say that the United States swimming team would “smash them like guitars” at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. But what we don’t remember is that, in the very same sentence, he admitted that was only his “biased view” – and that, logically, the Australian team of Michael Klim, Chris Fydler, Ashley Callus and Ian Thorpe would be very difficult opponents in the 4x100m freestyle relay.And so it proved. The Aussies won, and their air guitar celebration lives on. But we also don’t remember that Hall jnr was the first to come over and congratulate them after the race.3.30amWatch: Foster fires up ahead of US clashBy 3.30amWhere to watch the match todayBy So you’re awake and in Sydney...Get out of the house and head to a local venue! It’s not too late. Whether you’re in the city, Western Suburbs, Northern Beaches or the Shire, we have a wide-ranging list of venues that are showing the match from 5am. Have a look through here. Socceroos fans watch on at the Sackville Hotel.Janie Barrett3.30amSeattle’s only Aussie pub prepares for soccer fans to drink the bar dryBy Michael KoziolToday’s main event will be at Seattle Stadium. But the better seat might just be across town, at a bustling Aussie pub.For 25 years, Bradley Howe has run Seattle’s only Australian and New Zealand-themed bar, the Kangaroo and Kiwi, in the city’s Ballard neighbourhood.Bradley Howe at his Seattle pub.Michael KoziolLocated in a striking former public library, with massive television screens in every room and a wraparound patio, the pub is preparing for football fans to drink the joint dry today.“When it was announced that the US [team] was going to Seattle, I couldn’t believe it,” Howe said. “I’ve got kegs at my house, I’ve got liquor everywhere. We are stacked and loaded … Twenty-five years in the game and this might be my biggest, most exciting day.′Read more about it here. 1 of 2