Archie faces his World Cup moment of truth

Melbourne Victory striker Archie Thompson enters one of the most important months of his career as his World Cup hopes hinge on his A-League performances.

Four years ago under Guus Hiddink, Thompson was a Socceroos squad staple and his position ahead of the 2006 finals was never in doubt.

Not so now.

Thompson has not played for his country since two forgettable Asian Cup qualifiers in February and March, when coach Pim Verbeek described his performance against Indonesia as “absolutely hopeless”.

Verbeek will have to sling a few Socceroos shirts to A-League players when he names his squad to play Kuwait on January 6 – a match which does not fall on a FIFA international date.

And if Thompson is to have any chance of figuring in South Africa next year, the 31-year-old knows Verbeek will have to end his nine-month banishment.

“I feel like I’m playing well – probably haven’t scored as much as I’d like to but my all-round game has improved heaps,” Thompson said.

“If I start putting balls in the back of the net and keep playing the way I have been playing, hopefully I’m a slight chance of getting a gig in the Kuwait game.

“I don’t want to put added pressure on myself. I want to enjoy the football I’ve been playing, and where we are on the ladder.”

Thompson gets an ideal opportunity to get among the goals in his side’s top-of-the-table clash with Gold Coast United at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

United are without their entire first-choice defence through injury and suspension, with a squad of just 12 fit players being supplemented by their youth-teamers.

Coast striker Shane Smeltz admitted if his side could knock over the league leaders, it would perhaps rank as the best performance in the club’s short history.

“Knowing after this week we get three or four players back, (winning against Melbourne) would give us a lift for the rest of the season,” Smeltz said.

“As a team we realise we’re coming here and it’s going to be a massive challenge. We’re playing in front of a good side in front of a massive crowd with a depleted squad.

“But we see it as a challenge and hopefully we’re going to live up to it.”

Etihad Stadium will use its rectangular seating configuration for Saturday night’s match.

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