Young Socceroos offer something new and tantalising: the hope of an adventure like in 2006

T here always was a familiar feeling to this youthful squad of Socceroos. That sense of deja vu. That you had seen something like this before. But it took Nestory Irankunda running to the corner flag to remember what it was. By reviving Tim Cahill’s famous goal celebration, the new face of Australian football instantly connected this fearless crop of young footballers finding their way on the world stage to the greats wearing yellow that have gone before. Beyond the celebration, the echoes were everywhere. The scorer was a 20-year-old, not yet born when John Aloisi scored the penalty against Uruguay in 2005. The coach, Tony Popovic, was a player in the Socceroos squad in Germany the following year. The 20-year anniversary of Cahill’s double against Japan was exactly two days ago, and these players marked it with a 2-0 win over Turkey . It all makes comparison hard to avoid. But do not misconstrue it: Irankunda and co have not yet earned the status of another golden generation. There is no Harry Kewell in this team, no Mark Viduka. They may get there, they may not. There is still much to prove, much to improve. The force that is stirring is harder to pin down, more difficult to define. That 2006 side brought Australia back to the World Cup after a long hiatus. They had talent, sure, but that Germany campaign was less action movie than mystery drama. …