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Former US players, possibly caught up successful nan swell of assurance brought astir by nan team’s 4-1 romp complete Paraguay successful their World Cup opener, person fired barbs astatine Australia, their adjacent opponents. The Socceroos person fired back. And existent US players are having nary of it.
“All this talk is conscionable delirium to me,” US winger Tim Weah told nan media connected Tuesday, seconds aft rolling his eyes and giving an incredulous look erstwhile told astir comments from US pundits describing Friday’s lucifer arsenic a “layup,” aliases that nan Australian squad itself is “average.”
“When you look astatine nan Australian team, they’re a young squad that has a batch of fight, a batch of grit, and a batch of hunger, conscionable for illustration us,” Weah said. “We respect them successful nan aforesaid measurement that we respect immoderate different opponent. I deliberation it’s going to beryllium a beautiful game. I don’t cognize what nan media is trying to do, but we’re not really focused connected that.”
The comments person travel astir straight from 3 erstwhile USMNT players. After nan tie placed nan US successful Group D pinch Australia, Turkey and Paraguay, erstwhile US striker Landon Donovan called Australia coach Tony Popovic “smug,” adding “you tin get backmost connected nan Qantas airplane and caput backmost home, pal.”
Fox Sports commentator and US World Cup seasoned Alexi Lalas said Australia are “an mean squad by immoderate measure, and surely not a awesome team.” CBS Sports pundit Mike Grella, successful comments that astir inflamed nan Socceroos, called Friday’s lucifer a “layup” for nan US.
Australia’s players person taken note. “I mean, I’ve seen each nan US stuff, and I’m conscionable sick of it, to beryllium honorable I conscionable am,” Metcalfe said this month. “Like each this talk – it’s conscionable – let’s conscionable hold for nan game, immoderate happens, happens.”
Tyler Adams attempted to enactment arsenic a peacemaker connected Tuesday.
“I don’t deliberation immoderate commentary helps anybody,” nan US midfielder said. “It’s not going to beryllium a layup. If anything, it’s going to beryllium 1 of nan astir difficult games we play.”
The US sewage a measurement of what a lucifer against Australia will beryllium for illustration successful 2025, successful a fiery 2-1 triumph successful Colorado. That match, ostensibly a friendly, was notable for scuffles betwixt nan 2 sides – an acquisition that US players opportunity has fixed them a preview of what’s to come.
“That crippled successful Colorado was fun,” said Weah, who started and went 64 minutes successful that game. “It was aggressive, and I deliberation from that crippled successful Colorado we’ve changed a lot, and we’ve sewage a spot much fierce arsenic good … I’m personification who respects Australia a lot.”
