July 2, 2026 — 3:40pmThe first time Socceroos star Nestory Irankunda and coach Tony Popovic embraced was late in 2023.But they were on opposing sides of the pitch, in a fiery A-League Men’s clash between long-time rivals Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory.Socceroos striker Nestory Irankunda and coach Tony Popovic share a moment after a friendly win over Curacao in March.Getty ImagesIrankunda, then a teenager, had stunned fans with his “banger” goals for Adelaide, but his temper was being tested by opponents who were cutting him down.With scores tied 1-1 in the final minutes, he was scythed down cynically, and he took his frustrations out on the referee, earning a second yellow card and a send-off. Victory’s players didn’t spare him with their reactions to his dismissal either, while boos rained down from the stands.Popovic was Victory’s coach but sensed Irankunda was in a bad place and wrapped him up in a hug, helping him leave the field before Adelaide’s coaches could escort him off.“I’ve been there as a young player, and you feel like the world has ended [with a red card],” Popovic explained after the game.“In that moment, it’s a split-second decision, and I didn’t want him to do something he might regret. I was trying to calm him down before he went off.”Irankunda played 60 A-League Men games before moving to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich for a reported $5.5 million, and Australia celebrated with him in the World Cup after his goal and “Tim Cahill boxing” celebration against Turkey.Those 60 games are part of a combined 1438 games here in the local competition by the Socceroos picked for this World Cup.Seven of the starting 11 against Paraguay have played in the A-League. Goalkeeper Patrick Beach, who quickly vaulted to national hero status after his performance in the opener against Turkey, seemingly came from obscurity. In reality, he has been playing at Melbourne City.The games number goes past 1600 when you add in Popovic, who coached the Western Sydney Wanderers, Perth Glory and Melbourne Victory in 284 games after playing in 27 games for Sydney FC at the end of his decorated on-field career.Former Socceroos defender Alex Wilkinson played every minute of Australia’s 2014 World Cup campaign under Ange Postecoglou and won multiple A-League trophies with Central Coast and Sydney FC.He is now Sydney’s head of football operations, so has watched over Socceroos midfielder Paul Okon-Engstler who won the club’s player-of-the-year award last season.Wilkinson has seen A-League rosters become younger with emerging players like Irankunda, Beach, Lucas Herrington and co racking up games.Socceroos defender Alex Wilkinson after the clash against Spain at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.AP“It’s just experience, mate,” Wilkinson said.“As much as a kid might be talented or had a wonderful career coming through academies and other environments, you can’t buy the experience of playing 90 minutes on a regular basis.“Those Irankundas, Beaches and Pauly Okons are playing week in, week out and learning what professional environments are all about and what it takes to be successful.“… they will make mistakes and coaches are aware of that, and it’s part of growth.Paul Okon- Engstler was a hit in his first season with Sydney FC.Oscar Colman“But it’s much more beneficial to make mistakes here rather than when they go to Europe because the environment over there is much more cutthroat, much more ruthless.”Beach has never been a poster boy for the A-League in the way that Irankunda was, but he has made the most of his time on the field since debuting for Melbourne City in 2024, playing 54 games.He played every minute of City’s season in 2024-25 and had 13 clean sheets, but also had his share of errors.City coach Aurelio Vidmar was determined to let Beach learn from his mistakes on the pitch, and the 22-year-old is using those lessons to effect at the World Cup, where he has had two clean sheets from three groups games.Melbourne City goalkeeper Patrick Beach playing locally in November 2025.Getty ImagesBeach made a poor error passing out from defence in a 3-0 loss to rivals Melbourne Victory in October 2024. “We play a certain way and goalkeepers have to be good with their feet,” Vidmar said at the time. “I knew at some stage that was going to happen, and unfortunately, it was in one of the biggest games.“He needs to jump back on the horse, keep getting better because that is what the demands are going to be.”The A-League has endured significant off-field and financial turmoil, but Wilkinson said this World Cup showed it was producing Socceroos.“The fans have to realise that the product the A-League is producing is working, and it’s of high quality,” Wilkinson said.“The proof is in the pudding because over the last four years we’ve had so many boys come through this environment into the national team, and they have now qualified through the group stage at the World Cup.“Much of that was manufactured here in the A-League.”The current Socceroo with the most A-League Men games is veteran defender Jason Geria, who played the bulk of his career at Melbourne Victory but had just one Socceroos game under Postecoglou in 2016.But Geria won Popovic’s heart during their time together at Victory and the Socceroos boss immediately recalled him when he took charge in October 2024.Jason Geria celebrates scoring a goal for Melbourne Victory in May 2024.Getty ImagesGeria was among their best players in an away qualifier against Japan and soon after earned a move to the J-League.That mindset has guided Geria ever since, becoming a fixture in Popovic’s squad and coming off the bench against Turkey and the USA in the World Cup.Roy Ward is a sports writer, live blogger and breaking news journalist. He's been writing for The Age since 2010.Connect via X or email.From our partners