Socceroos players have rejected the notion the occasion got to them after their 2-0 defeat to USA in Seattle, but admit the sluggish start was their downfall.

The high of the Turkey win has been replaced by the sobering reality of the defeat to USA, which kept Australia in second spot in Group D but with their qualification fate up in the air ahead of their final group game.

In front of a passionate Seattle crowd which ratcheted up the volume early, the Socceroos looked nervy and off the pace.

Even putting Cameron Burgess’ early own-goal and Alex Freeman’s quick reaction to a loose ball in the box aside, the US were the better team and appeared galvanised by the crowd while Australia appeared to struggle with it.

But the shared feeling among players post-game, as they shuffled through a post-game mixed zone bearing the air of a funeral’s solemn silence, was a slow start was their biggest sin.

“We didn’t start the game well enough. They were in on our faces, we couldn’t get the ball down, we were always trying to get in behind early. We didn’t show that composure that we needed,” captain Harry Souttar said.

“It was a great atmosphere, but one the lads have played before many times before.”

Fellow defender Jason Geria, a half-time substitute for Burgess, concurred with his captain.

“I don’t know if we struggled with the occasion, but the US were up for it. They were backed by a huge home crowd and we came out a bit flat,” Geria said.

“We weren’t able to get a foothold in the game and we conceded some sloppy goals and it put us in a difficult situation.

The well-drilled US pressed Australia into corners they did not want to go into, and pushed high onto midfielders Aiden O’Neill and Paul Okon-Engstler, giving them not time on the ball.

“Every game, you want to go out there and start well, and sometimes the other team, they come out really fast, and we weren’t able to do exactly what we wanted in the first half,” O’Neill said.

If there are positives for Australia to take, they lie in the second-half performance. The introduction of Nestory Irankunda, Connor Metcalfe and Cristian Volpato added a different dynamic to proceedings.

The Socceroos sorely missed Irankunda’s speed in the first-half and O’Neill said his quality adds to their attack whenever he is on the pitch.

“He’s such a threat in behind with his pace, and when we win the ball back, you can see the fear in defenders’ eyes most of the time,” he said.

Metcalfe has endured a difficult season with St Pauli in the German Bundesliga, but club teammate and Socceroos vice-captain Jackson Irvine said he was peaking at the right time.

“It’s all been leading to this for him - the frustration, the disappointment of not playing as much in the Bundesliga, and dealing with that, he’s put so much energy into focusing on this moment, and you can see it,” Irvine said.

In his second Socceroos game, Volpato’s technical prowess immediately caught the eye. Four years on from turning down the chance to play for Australia at a World Cup, the Serie A attacker said it was a special moment to come off the bench.

“Even in the first game, when we’re singing the national anthem, I was getting goosebumps. Walking out today, I was tearing up, it was amazing,” Volpato said.

“Seeing all my family and my friends there in the stands, made me tear up and made me want to give everything for them. It was amazing.

“I’m a hard believer in everything happens for a reason. If I knew it was this good, I would have come earlier.”