Western Sydney striker Brandon Borrello concedes his dream of earning a Socceroos recall is being hindered by the Wanderers' winless start to the A-League Men season.
After a torrid 2023/24 campaign when he missed Australia's Asian Cup squad due to injury, 11-cap international Borrello has hit the ground running with two goals in the Wanderers' first three games.
But across their three opening games under new boss Alen Stajcic, the Wanderers have picked up just one point.
Saturday's ugly 4-3 defeat at home to Adelaide further compounded the club's underwhelming start to the season.
And the 29-year-old Borrello, a self-described realist, accepts the Wanderers' sluggish opening month probably makes it harder for Socceroos boss Tony Popovic to justify naming him for next week's World Cup qualifiers.
"It's always great to get on the scoresheet and maybe make his (Popovic's) decision harder," Borrello told AAP.
"It probably makes his decision a lot easier if you're on a winning team.
"My profile and the profile of other players is going to look better if the team is winning.
"That's something we all understand, when we win as a whole we win individually, not the other way around."
Popovic is set to name his squad on Friday, with Australia facing Saudi Arabia in Melbourne on 14 November before an away trip to Bahrain six days later.
It means Borrello has no further chances to audition for a recall, with the Wanderers due to face the Newcastle Jets at home on Friday evening.
The Wanderers have not won at their CommBank Stadium home since January and the need for a rapid response is not lost on Borrello.
"With one point from nine, it's not easy to take considering the amount of hours we've put in on the training paddock," Borrello said.
"We're in a bit of a hole right now and we need to pick ourselves up and take a hard look in the mirror.
"I'm known for being a bit of a sore loser but I don't think Adelaide created a great deal of chances, they played off our mistakes, our lapses in concentration, and punished us.
"We need to get ourselves up - the fans, the coaching staff, the players - we all want to get three points.
"We've not done that yet so there's a bit of pressure but that is part and parcel of being a footballer."
