Craig Goodwin is looking to continue his strong club form for the Socceroos as he prepares to don the Green and Gold in his beloved Adelaide under new boss Tony Popovic.
The match against China PR at Adelaide Oval will bring to an end a seven-year wait for South Australia and Goodwin, as the winger gets set to play in his hometown for the first time in his national team career.
Goodwin, who has become a leading light for South Australian football with his heroic performances in Green and Gold and former club Adelaide United, is naturally delighted to have the opportunity to play for the Socceroos in his home state.
“I’ve been quite vocal over the last couple of years about trying to get one here, so I’m really happy we’ve been able to get a game in Adelaide,” he told the media today.
“I’ll enjoy playing in front of my friends and family. I expect a packed-out stadium, to be honest.
“It’s been seven years, it’s few and far between, but there’s been some good marketing and everything being put into the city - at the airport there’s some very nice posters and you can feel that there is a bit of a different vibe in it.
“I’m really looking forward to a really good atmosphere, and this game now is a big fixture."
“It’s a really important game for us, and it’s a great chance for the South Australian public to come out and see so many South Australian players as well.”
The match at Adelaide Oval will mark a new era for the Green and Gold, with Tony Popovic joining the fray as the new head coach of the Subway Socceroos.
Goodwin was quick to compliment his new coach, saying: “I think he’s had great success wherever he’s been.
“I’ve not worked with him yet, but coming up against his teams, they’re always well organised and very difficult to play against.
“And you can see he’s a winner. He’s a winner as a coach, his mentality, his answers in his interviews.
"So if he can instill that similar mindset within the group of that real winner mentality, that’s going to help us.”
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Goodwin will be keen to impress Popovic in front of his friends, family and fans at Adelaide Oval, and is in a good position to do so after a strong start to his Saudi Pro League season for Al-Wehda, in which he has registered two goals and one assist in six appearances.
“I’m feeling really good physically,” Goodwin said.
“This has been my first pre-season in a while - I broke my rib at the back end of last year and there’s never a good time to have an injury, but the last three years I’ve had injuries during the off-season and the pre-sason, so I’ve not been able to do that.
“So timing wise, getting it at the end of the season with a couple of months to go has probably helped me get a really good foundation in the off-season, and I’m feeling really fit and strong, and mentality wise, feeling really good.”
And after a disappointing start to Round Three of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ qualifying campaign, Goodwin’s presence could be ever more necessary, not just on the field, but also his mentality off it.
Speaking on the difficult start in the first two matches, Goodwin spoke about the importance of reflecting on performances and feeling the weight of wearing the Australia badge.
“I think probably most of us would have thought about it individually and self-reflected to look at the way we performed as individuals,” he continued.
“Obviously, there are always things that you can look at tactically, but first and foremost, we have to look at ourselves.
“We know that the performances across the two games weren’t good enough and weren’t at the standard that we know we can provide and have provided over the last two, three years.
“There probably is a little bit more pressure, but pressure is a privilege, and we have to rise to that.
“There is no greater pressure than playing for your national team and trying to qualify for a World Cup and play in major tournaments.
“So we know that pressure’s there, but that’s professional football and we have to thrive off that.”
The Socceroos will be looking to respond to the first two matches with a strong performance against China PR on Thursday night, with Goodwin resting importance on Australia remaining focused on their own game in what is shaping to be an enthralling encounter.
“I think it’ll be a different kind of game against China to the first two games we played against Bahrain and Indonesia,” he said.
“I think China’s going to come out and try and play a little bit more, or be a little bit more aggressive in that way.
“It sounds cliché, but we have to focus on ourselves, we have to focus on how we want to play. It’s our home game and we have to take the game to them, we have to be aggressive in our play, play at a high tempo and really try and set the tone.
“I’m confident in the squad that we have and with the coaches that we have that we can do something special.”
Match Details
Subway Socceroos v China PR
Thursday, 10 October 2024
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Kick-off: 7:30 pm ACDT (8:00pm AEDT)
Tickets: Start from $15 Child, $20 Concession, $29 Adult, and $58 Family. Tickets from Ticketek.
Broadcast: 10, 10 Play and Paramount+
Japan v Subway Socceroos
Tuesday 15 October 2024
Saitama Stadium 2002, Tokyo
Kick-off: 7.35pm local (9.35pm AEDT)
Broadcast: Paramount+