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Socceroos coach set to quit as Australia faces World Cup play-off against Honduras

Postecoglou has coached the Socceroos since October 2013.

Postecoglou has coached the Socceroos since October 2013. Photo: Getty

Australia coach Ange Postecoglou appears set to quit his role following next month’s FIFA World Cup play-off against Honduras.

The Socceroos will play the Central American nation over two legs in November with a spot at sport’s biggest event up for grabs.

But even if they win, and qualify, Postecoglou is not likely to be guiding his country in Russia next year.

A News Corp report on Wednesday morning suggested Postecoglou had decided to quit and in a brief statement the 52-year-old coach did not deny the speculation.

Instead, he said he was only focused on the Honduras fixtures – an indication they would be his last in charge of the national team.

“I am aware of reports today suggesting that I will step down as head coach of the Socceroos next month,” Postecoglou said.

“My sole focus is on preparing the team for our final two qualifying matches.

“I will not let anything compromise the team’s journey on getting to a fourth-consecutive FIFA World Cup.”

Football Federation Australia [FFA] chairman David Gallop said that after discussions with Postecoglou, it was determined that all energies should be put into the intercontinental play-off.

“Beyond that, should we qualify, there is a period of some months until the World Cup and we agreed that we will need to lock in our set up as soon as possible to maximise our preparation time,” he said.

Sydney FC boss Graham Arnold – who led the A-League side to the title last season – has already been linked with the job.

Aaron Mooy Socceroos

Postecoglou surprisingly left Aaron Mooy out of his starting side on Tuesday. Photo: Getty

Postecoglou took on the job in October 2013 after a poor run of results under German Holger Osieck.

Former Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Bosnich said there had been unrest in camp of late.

“I have been told that there are situations that have been arising in the camp that have left a lot of players rather unhappy,” he told Fox Sports News.

Ex-Socceroos midfielder Robbie Slater said if Postecoglou was to walk it would indicate there were “obviously problems” in the current set-up.

“If we do qualify, I’m not really sure why he wouldn’t go to the World Cup,” he told Fox Sports News.

“He’s obviously got his own reasons … there are obviously problems.”

Star midfielder Aaron Mooy was not in Postecoglou’s starting line-up on Tuesday, as Australia scraped past Syria in extra time to book their spot in the intercontinental play-off.

Slater added that there was “a massive problem there with Mooy, there’s no doubt about that”.

Socceroos set for Honduras clash

Australia’s fate in the upcoming play-off was determined after a crazy end to North American qualifying matches.

Panama and the United States loomed as opponents for Australia at one stage, only for a dramatic late twist.

That came as Roman Torres scored an 88th-minute winner for Panama against Costa Rica – a result that saw them qualify for the World Cup for the first time.

United States Football Team

The United States were short-priced favourites to beat Trinidad and Tobago. Photo: Getty

Panama’s win sent them above Honduras, which also beat Mexico 3-2, relegating them to a play-off, and, stunningly, saw the United States fail to make the World Cup.

The US has not missed a World Cup since 1986 but a shock 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago came at the worst time for Bruce Arena’s men.

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