Please Socceroos, don’t break our hearts, writes Graham Cornes

THE Socceroos keep doing this to us. Every couple of years they leap to the forefront of our sporting consciousness and ignite a patriotic fervour unlike no other Australian team.

NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 27: Socceroos fans cheer on their team during the Asian Cup Semi Final match between the Australian Socceroos and the United Arab Emirates at Hunter Stadium on January 27, 2015 in Newcastle, Australia. (Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)

THE Socceroos keep doing this to us. Every couple of years they leap to the forefront of our sporting consciousness and ignite a patriotic fervour unlike no other Australian team. Sure, we get passionately behind our cricketers but a five day test match cannot concentrate the sporting passion as well as a soccer match. Was there ever as much tension then ecstatic release in an Australian sporting stadium as that moment in Sydney in 2005 when a John Aloisi penalty sent the Socceroos to the World Cup? No, even if the game is not our first love, that soccer team wearing green and gold draws us to them. Inevitably though, they break our hearts. Not tonight however. The Socceroos may not be ranked as highly as their opponents in the final of the Asian Cup, the South Koreans, but they have momentum and the sporting aspirations of a nation driving them to succeed. They can’t break our hearts this time.

It’s a different Socceroos team this one. Perhaps it is not as tactically restricted or robotic as those that were coached by Europeans, but it has a certain “X” factor about it. At last a coach has recognised that pace is vital in international competitions. Too often our Socceroos have been exposed by a lack of pace, both in attack and defence when the ball is played wide. Of course, skill is still the foundation of a team’s success, but if skill is king, pace is his belligerent regent.

Despite the FFA’s pathetic reason for not scheduling a match in Adelaide and the sub-standard surfaces on which the players have had to perform, this Asian Cup has been an incredible success. It’s great to qualify for a World Cup but we actually have a chance to win this one, particularly now Japan has been eliminated. Expectations are high, but then expectations should be high. Expectation always produces an attacking intent, and attack has been a refreshing component of coach, Ange Postecoglou’s, strategy. But an attacking intent can also expose a weakness and the Socceroos will be vulnerable to the quick counter-attacks of the defensive-minded Koreans.

Actually this will be more than a soccer match. The clash of the two cultures will be fascinating. The Koreans are fanatical in their approach and ruthless with their discipline. To fail is to be disgraced in their militaristic society. The Aussies on the other hand can play with a freedom of spirit that does leave a few loose ends.

It’s been a great tournament and it reaches a climax this evening in Sydney. For the sake of the game in Australia, we don’t want to be subjected to a defensive crawl. The Socceroos must win — hopefully Australia 2-1.

Originally published as Please Socceroos, don’t break our hearts, writes Graham Cornes