In briefNestory Irankunda and Conor Metcalfe were benched after scoring in Australia's opening game against Türkiye. Kevin-Prince Boateng called for Irankunda, Cristian Volpato and Mo Touré to start against Paraguay.Socceroos coach Tony Popovic's selection decisions have come under scrutiny after Australia's heartbreaking 2-0 loss to the USA in their second World Cup group match.Despite scoring in Australia's opening win over Türkiye, Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe were both left on the bench as the USA dominated the first half before a crowd of nearly 67,000 at Seattle Stadium on Saturday morning (AEST). Australia looked flat despite the USA missing star winger Christian Pulisic, with the Socceroos conceding an own goal in the 11th minute when defender Cameron Burgess turned the ball into his own net.All the FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage on our World Cup pageHow to watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 on SBSWatch all 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at our On Demand hubWhen the Socceroos matches startThe co-hosts doubled their lead just before half-time through an Alex Freeman header, which was initially ruled offside before being awarded following a VAR review.News that makes senseYour trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.Irankunda and Metcalfe were introduced at half-time, while Cristian Volpato replaced the injured Mathew Leckie at the hour mark.The Socceroos looked far more dangerous after the break, with the substitutes injecting fresh energy and helping swing momentum Australia's way.But it proved too little, too late, as Australia failed to find a way back into the back of the net. Popovic admitted the Socceroos looked "sluggish" and "heavy-legged".Socceroos coach Tony Popovic admitted Australia looked slow in the first half. Source: Getty / Sarah Stier"They were quicker, they were more powerful. They won every duel, they won every second ball and when you do that, it makes it very difficult."Then we conceded two soft goals."We did very well in the second half, we were very aggressive, we won all the duels."But he defended his selection choice. "I'm not sure how much the personnel made a difference in that first half," Popovic said."It was warm for us out there, it was difficult, we found it difficult, and I think the players that came on would have probably struggled to last long in the first half."So we needed some fresh bodies for the second half to come on, we needed to stay in the game better than what we did in the first half, but you've got to give credit [to the USA] as well."He also lamented some of the refereeing calls but said it wasn't an excuse. "I think today was, I wouldn't say the best day for the referee," he said.'Would love to see these three up top'Former Socceroos captain Craig Foster questioned Popovic's decision to bench Irankunda after his standout display in the opening match."He was so brilliant in the first game. And the importance of the game against Türkiye was we went one-nil up instead of one-nil down," he told SBS. "That's critical when you have a defensive style of play. So, you know, I think that decision has probably cost him. He's come on now in the second half to try and chase the game again. That's the most difficult position to be in."Former Ghana international Kevin-Prince Boateng also urged Popovic to start Volpato, Irankunda and Mohamed Toure against Paraguay."Toure, Irankunda, Volpato. That’s for me the front three," he said on SBS's post-game coverage. "You have two threatening the space, while Volpato can come in the middle and create something. He has the technique to play them in, to pass the ball through."Please Popovic if you can listen to us ... we would love to see these three up top." Harry Kewell said the impact of Volpato and Irankunda showed the attacking intent Australia needed to produce for the full 90 minutes."I think when we actually got control of the game, and put it to the USA, we actually put them on the back foot," he said."They didn't really have a reply, and I think we can take a lot of positives from that and hopefully in our next game we can continue this aggressive play that we showed in the second half."Australia will take on Paraguay next week in their final group match. You can watch all 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ live, free and exclusive on SBS, SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand.For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.