By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE, June 1 (Reuters) - Australia coach Tony Popovic said his young World Cup squad is better than the Socceroos' 2022 line-up and should have high expectations heading into the tournament in North America.
Popovic's 26-man squad features 17 World Cup debutants, including two uncapped players in Japan-based striker Tete Yengi, 25, and 22-year-old attacker Cristian Volpato, who only switched allegiance from Italy to Australia in recent days.
There are 11 players who have earned fewer
than 10 caps, including 18-year-old defender Lucas Herrington and 22-year-old striker Mohamed Toure.
At Qatar in 2022, Graham Arnold's squad reached the last 16 after they became the first Australian side to win multiple matches at a World Cup.
Popovic told reporters on Monday he wanted his players to have high expectations of themselves despite their relative inexperience.
"We weren't poor players four years earlier. We were very good players," Popovic said.
"We were a great group. Four years later, we're much better, so these boys will be good now.
"I don't want to dampen anyone's expectations. It is a young squad.
"Will they be better in four and eight years? Without a doubt.
"But that's not to say they're not good enough now. If they weren't, I wouldn't play them."
Yengi, the younger brother of Socceroos striker Kusini Yengi, was a late call-up to the pre-tournament camp in Florida, while Volpato joined the squad in California at the weekend.
Neither played in Australia's 1-0 friendly loss to Mexico at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.
Popovic said hulking 1.97m forward Yengi, who plays for Machida Zelvia in the Japanese top flight after being loaned out by Scottish side Livingston, could add something different to the attack in terms of his size and presence.
Former Italy under-20 player Volpato turned down Arnold's invitation to join the Socceroos for Qatar but has been rewarded for his late decision to ditch Italy.
"He's a very talented player ... There's a lot of growth and potential still there, which pretty much sums up a lot of our players at the moment," said Popovic.
Australia play their final warmup against Switzerland in San Diego on Saturday before launching their World Cup campaign against Turkey on June 13 in Vancouver. They also play co-hosts United States and Paraguay.
"What we have is a lot of young exuberance. A lot of exciting talent, which is the start of a new cycle," said Popovic.
"I think they're fearless. We're trying to get that right mix ... but it should be a very exciting group for the Australian public."
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
