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“It’s an amazing thing to stand up there and reflect on your past in becoming a Socceroo,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It makes you proud for yourself, your family, your fans and everyone who has helped you along the way. The national anthem was always that moment of significance and importance.”<\/p>\n
Skoko believes reaching the knockout rounds is a realistic expectation for Australia.<\/p>\n
“They’ll be dissatisfied if they don’t make it through,” he said.<\/p>\n
“They’ve got three games and they need to get at least one win and a draw.<\/p>\n
“After that who knows how far they can go and who they can surprise as an underdog.”<\/p>\n
Leijer said excitement was building among local soccer families as the tournament approached.<\/p>\n
“The time zone for us is outstanding, games between 5am and 2pm,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Hopefully our local families and children support the Socceroos and they have a good run at it.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FORMER\u00a0 Socceroos Adrian Leijer and Josip Skoko spend most of their time developing the next generation of local football talent, but this month their attention will be fixed on the game’s biggest stage. The Geelong soccer identities believe Australia can emerge from the group stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with both backing Tony […]<\/p>\n