As Socceroos goalkeeper Brad Jones walked away from the World Cup to be with his ailing son, his message to teammates was a simple and poignant one.

Keep going, and do what you have to do.

The close-knit Australian camp was rocked by the news that Jones' four-year-old son Luca is seriously ill - something that undoubtedly affected their performance in their 3-1 friendly defeat by the United States on Saturday.

The popular reserve keeper appears certain to quit the World Cup to remain at his son's side in France as he battles leukaemia.

Skipper Lucas Neill, one of several Socceroos with young families, admitted the news had put the World Cup in brutal context and affected the players.

But before leaving South Africa on Saturday night, Jones had urged his Socceroos teammates to focus on doing their best for their country - and Neill promised the Australians will do just that.

"It puts football as completely irrelevant, even a World Cup, for everybody," Neill said.

"(Saturday) was a very distracting and hard day for us to focus.

"Fortunately we have something else we can focus on now.

"We consider ourselves a family, and the news we heard ... it was devastating. It hit all the boys for six.

"I know he'll be cheering us on while we do the job we've got to do here. Now we have even more incentive to do it for him and on behalf of Australia."

The Socceroos will give Jones time to decide whether he wants to officially withdraw from the tournament.

On Monday, FIFA gave official approval for Adelaide United's Eugene Galekovic to replace Jones in the squad should the Middlesbrough goalkeeper pull out as expected.

Australia have until 24 hours before their first match against Germany to make the switch.

Coach Pim Verbeek has kept Galekovic at both training camps in Melbourne and South Africa, and admits he is working on the basis Jones will not return.

"We expect him not to come back - that says enough about the seriousness of the matter," Verbeek said on Sunday.

"We have decided he needs to be with (his family), as long as he needs to be there.

"It is a very serious matter and we wish him strength and luck and everything that is necessary for him to be with his family and support his family.

"Of course it's had impact. Everybody had to deal with that situation on Saturday. It wasn't an easy day for us.

"It is something you keep in the back of your head. This is something you don't forget about."

The news for the Socceroos was better on two important World Cup fronts.

Midfielder Tim Cahill is expected to resume full training after hospital scans cleared him of any serious neck injury following a header gone wrong in the US match.

And FIFA has allowed the Socceroos to split their training venues for the next week.

Verbeek raised concerns about the standard of the pitch at their assigned World Cup training venue Ruimsig Stadium.

Now they will train three times at Ruimsig and use their previous base at St Stithian's College in Johannesburg for their two most crucial sessions ahead of the Germany match.

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