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Chapter 1: What is Simon Hill's experience commentating the Socceroos' win?
This is your town. This is your station. This is Waitley. On Tuesdays for the duration of the tournament, we're going to immerse ourselves in the World Cup, plot the course of the Australians and the impacts of the showpiece event across the US in particular.
We start today with he has been the voice of the Socceroos at World Cups and it was utterly perfect that he was there for such a significant moment for us on SEN. Here's Aloisi for a place in the World Cup. He scores! Australia have done it! Poked home by Tim Cahill. Six minutes to go. And it's a landmark moment for Australian football. Aloisi. Cahill. Cahill! Tim Cahill has done it again!
Chapter 2: How does Simon Hill feel about the significance of the victory over Türkiye?
What a goal by Tim Cahill! 2-1 Australia! Aloisi. Paducah's in an offside position. Aloisi might go on his own. Aloisi! 3-1! It's all over! 3 points for Australia! Might drop for Kuehl. Harry Kuehl has done it. Australia's golden boy has come up with a golden goal. It just had to be Harry. It's Nestor Irucunda. He's done it.
Chapter 3: What are the reactions from Socceroos fans in Vancouver?
What a goal from one end of the pitch to the other. Nestor Irucunda, you star. The world knows what we've known for a long time now. The full-time whistle blows in Vancouver. It's all over. What a night for the Socceroos. For only the second time in their history, they win their opening game at a World Cup. Three priceless points.
We are always in the safest of hands when Simon Hill is behind the mic. Simon, congratulations on your call. It's great to touch base with you. Thanks, Gerard. Nice to be with you. How are you? How's the buzz settled a couple of days on?
Chapter 4: How did Simon Hill perceive the team selections for the World Cup opener?
I think a lot of the Socceroos fans, and there are many of them here in Vancouver at the moment, are still on a bit of a high after the other night. It was a little bit unexpected, but a very pleasant night. All the conversation, I'm on the Green and Gold Army tour with about 500 Socceroos fans and Everybody wants to talk about his team selections and the goals.
And we've even got a couple of Nestor, Ian and Kunda's relatives on our tour. So, of course, they're proven to be very popular as well.
They would be. Hey, you posed the question late in the broadcast, is where did Vancouver fit? Was it the new pinnacle moment at the World Cup? You're actually best qualified to answer your own question. Have you been thinking about it? And what do you reckon?
Yeah, it's a tough one to answer because we don't know the outcome of the other two games yet. If Australia were to lose to America and Paraguay, we'll probably forget about this victory over Turkey quite quickly. But at the moment, it feels seismic because we were so unfancied.
Chapter 5: What challenges does Australia face against the United States in the World Cup?
There was so much trash talk about Australia in the build-up to the World Cup, from America in particular, but Turkey even joined in a little bit as well.
uh before the opening game so it was nice to shut a few mouths uh it would be even nicer to shut the loudest of mouths in the united states um in terms of all time you know i'm probably biased because i was there and i call the game but the match against japan i think with it being You know, the Socceroos first World Cup in 32 years.
But for most people, their first World Cup finals with Australia in it in living memory, that to me is still probably top of the tree. But, you know, this is a very close second. And, you know, who knows how far Australia are going to go at this tournament. You know, if they go all the way maybe to the quarterfinals or the semifinals, obviously that's a big if.
But if they were to do that, then, you know, this will take on a completely different hue, I think.
How's it changed your thinking about the team, Simon? It was very hard. I spoke to a lot of people who sort of offer guidance. It was very hard to get anyone to help us pin our hopes and expectations. They were a bit of a mystery. I was wondering how what you were thinking and now that you've seen them, how it's changed your view.
Well, I don't know whether my views change because obviously I've watched a lot of Australia over recent years and particularly under Tony Popovich.
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Chapter 6: How has the perception of Australian football changed after the opening game?
So, you know, the way that they played was probably no great surprise. And I think it's probably a very sensible way of playing because, you know, we've got to be brutally honest. We haven't got the best players in the world in the squad at the moment. Man for man, Turkey were probably better overall.
They've got players like Ardo Gulo, who plays for Real Madrid, arguably one of the biggest world clubs in football. They've got players like Kenan Yildiz, who plays for Juventus in Serie A. He's just won the Serie A Young Player of the Year award. So they have fantastic individuals, match-winning individuals.
We have one or two as well, but they're at a slightly lower level in terms of their club level at the moment. So it was understandable that he was going to play in a very structured way and get a lot of men behind the ball.
We knew we weren't going to have a lot of possession, but there was always that hope that with the likes of Mohamed Toure and Nestor Irencunda, and of course, as it turns out, Conor Metcalf as well, that we had players that could go and nick a goal for us. And the game plan really worked an absolute treat. And I've got to say one more thing before you ask the next question.
Pre-game, all our talk, we were stunned by Tony Popovich's start in 11ers. I'm sure everybody else was in Australia. You know, Patrick Beach, massive call to replace your captain for a World Cup opener.
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Chapter 7: What are Simon Hill's thoughts on the overall World Cup experience so far?
Your vice-captain, Jackson Irvine, left on the bench. World Cup debuts for Patrick Beach and for Paul Ocon Engsler. And, you know, that could have gone horribly wrong for Tony Popovich. It was a really gutsy call, but... Hey, he got it absolutely bang on. And for that, he deserves an awful lot of credit.
Yes, I feel like of all the reputations that have soared, the admiration for going your own way to find what would have been safe, the adventure of youth. It felt very Australian to do it and bold and bulshy and got the reward for it.
Yeah, and, you know, as it turned out, Patrick Beach was probably the man of the match. He made a couple of outstanding saves, particularly the one that he tipped onto the post, I think just two minutes after Nestorio and Koundra had scored the opening goal. You know, that one goes in and that match could have played out in a completely different way.
So he justified his selection, kept a clean sheet on his World Cup debut. Big tick for him. Paul Ocon Engsler was involved in the opening goal, put a lovely ball over the top for Irunkunda to run onto. He did a good job as well.
Chapter 8: How does Simon Hill view the future of Australian football and its players?
And overall, Australia did not have a poor player on the night. They all did their jobs. Tony Popovich made the substitutions when he needed to. I thought bringing on Jason Guerrero late on was a masterstroke as well, just to keep Kenan Yildiz quiet because he's a great player. So all the big calls, he got spot on.
Now the trick, of course, is with only five or six days in between, they've got to get up and go again against the Americans, who are probably just as good as Turkey in terms of their individuals, but also are going to be playing in front of a home crowd. the task gets even more difficult from here on in.
I feel like there'll be a run at Rebel over these few days on number 17s. Aaron Kunder, you want a player to pin a generation to almost and just the thrilling nature of speed and precision is the best combination in sport, any sport. What have we got here in prospect and in reality?
Well, You know, that potential is starting to become reality. We knew his potential in Australia because obviously we've seen him grow up through the A-League with Adelaide United. He's had a bit of an in and out season with Watford, some really good moments, some fantastic goals. I've seen him a couple of times when I've been covering championship games from my base in England now, of course.
And I don't always think he's been played in his best position to get the best out of him. But obviously his reputation now is going to soar on the back of this World Cup, particularly on the back of that goal. I read today already there's some interest from Villarreal in Spain. If he decides to go there and if Watford are willing to sell him, of course.
then you know he could go to the next level and he is our and I don't think I'm overstating things here and I'm trying not to put too much pressure on the kid because he still is very young but He is the Harry Kuehl or the Tim Cahill of this generation. Of that, there's no doubt. He's got skill, pace, goals. He's got the lot. He's the full package.
And now he's starting to mature a little bit and adding a little bit of that defensive structure to his game as well, which has probably been the missing piece. Then he can certainly be the guy that at least drives Australia through to the knockout stage.
Simon, put us on tour with the group. It's so heartening to see Australian fans in such big numbers. I thought the shots at the end of the team posing in front of the bay, which is bathed in gold, that's sort of what we want it to look like. Who's there? Mum and dads? Families? Boys trips? Give us a feel for those who have paid their top dollar to go and be part of this.
Yeah, look, it's all sorts. I mean, all age groups, old and young. There are fathers with sons, fathers with daughters, mothers with daughters. There are mates here on lads trips. There are people who perhaps don't watch football on a regular basis, but they're here because It's a big event. And that's great.
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