Australia’s impressive unbeaten streak under head coach Tony Popovic came to an end with a 2-1 loss to the United States in Denver, but the coach says the performance gave him confidence ahead of next year’s World Cup.

The Socceroos had been on a seven-match winning run and were unbeaten in 12 games, with 11 of those under Popovic since he replaced Graham Arnold. They started brightly when Jordan Bos found the net early on, but two goals from U.S. striker Haji Wright turned the game around.

Despite the defeat, Popovic believes his side showed they can compete on the world stage.

“We pressed high, created chances at 1-1 and overall, it was a good performance—better than what we had against Canada, even though we won that one,” he said.

Australia, ranked 25th in the world and already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, have added new talent to their attack through youngsters Nestory Irankunda (19) and Mohamed Toure (21). Irankunda, who scored the winner against Canada last week, came off the bench and almost grabbed a late equaliser after a powerful run into the box.

Popovic noted that the high altitude — over 5,200 feet above sea level — affected the younger players.

“You could see they were struggling to breathe and couldn’t repeat the efforts like the senior players, but they still showed glimpses of their quality,” he added.

Although momentum dipped after the substitutions, Popovic remains optimistic, saying the team proved they can be competitive at the World Cup.