Australia's Patrick Beach is one of the breakout stars of the FIFA World Cup 2026. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
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DARRYL DYCK
Shepparton’s James Nieuwenhuizen has described Socceroos hero Patrick Beach in glowing terms, with the pair having shared the Melbourne City dressing room for the past five years.
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The A-League goalkeeper became one of the breakout stars of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with his eye-catching display for Australia in a famous 2-0 victory over Türkiye in the Group D opener.
Making eight saves during the clash in Vancouver, Canada, the 22-year-old wrote his name into folklore in just his third senior cap to keep a clean sheet and set his country en route to the win.
Incredibly, Beach had not been expected to start the game, with the youngster having been given the nod by head coach Tony Popovic ahead of established mainstay Maty Ryan.
The Australia boss was rewarded for his brinkmanship, having made the brave call to drop his regular captain.
“It’s something that we’ve always seen, and I’ve got a lot of belief in the young man,” Popovic said, after Beach more than justified his selection in game one.
“He stood up today, so very happy for him.
“The young boys combining to score a goal — you can’t underestimate what this will do for their confidence and belief.”
James Nieuwenhuizen has been a teammate of Australia’s newest soccer hero for five years.
Speaking following a World Cup bow that made him an instant fan favourite in the land down under, the Australia No. 18 admitted he only found out he was going to start the game during the previous week.
“A couple of days ago the boss and keeper coach (Frank Juric) pulled me aside and told me that I’d be playing,” he told reporters.
“Maty (Ryan) and Paulie (Paul Izzo) both have been really great for me; great goalkeepers, great guys. They’ve given me a lot of support.”
At club level, Australia’s newest idol has long been able to call upon the support of the Melbourne City goalkeeping union too.
Goulburn Valley shot-stopper Nieuwenhuizen is uniquely placed to provide the inside track on Beach’s qualities, having called him a teammate since 2021 down at AAMI Park.
“Beachy has been huge in the success we’ve had, he’s been duly rewarded with his Socceroos call-up,” he said on the “Shepparton News Meets...” podcast towards the end of the recent A-League season.
“Being around him every day is an opportunity to make him the best that he can be because that helps the team.”
The Shepparton star opened up on hopefully following in his club teammate’s footsteps one day too in the future by playing for the Socceroos at a World Cup.
“That would be the absolute pinnacle of anyone’s career to play in a World Cup,” he said.
“Getting to represent the country of Australia and also the region of Greater Shepparton and all the people who have helped me to get to where I am today, that would just be the biggest ‘thank you’ I could ever give.”
You can listen to episode three of “Shepparton News Meets...” with James Nieuwenhuizen below or on all major podcast streaming platforms.
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