By Sam Tobin
SEATTLE, June 17 (Reuters) – The United States will hope to keep the party going after starting the World Cup with a fluid attacking display, but must be wary of an Australia side which began with a famous victory and have been fired up by misplaced disrespect.
Few would have predicted that Friday’s game could decide who tops Group D, but the co-hosts’ 4-1 rout of Paraguay followed by the Socceroos’ 2-0 humbling of Turkey makes the winners firm favourites to progress in first place.
The skill and swagger with which the U.S. dismantled Paraguay has rightly prompted a wave of excitement among their fans, which the side will seek to channel in Seattle.
But Australia pose a significant threat: they are physically imposing, well-drilled defensively and quick and clinical on the counter, all of which they showed against Turkey.
The U.S. are fully aware of Australia’s dangers, after a fiery ‘friendly’ in October in which Christian Pulisic was forced off injured. The forward’s fitness for the rematch is again in question after he trained separately this week.
Despite Pulisic nursing a calf issue which he initially picked up in training, teammate Tim Weah said on Tuesday that the winger, who was withdrawn at halftime against Paraguay after aggravating the problem, should be able to play a part.
“I think he will be ready for the game … I’m just praying to god that he feels 100% fit – he will be needed,” he said.
U.S. PLAYERS DISMISS PUNDITS’ COMMENTS ABOUT AUSTRALIA
Some U.S. pundits have been disparaging about Australia, prompting their midfielder Connor Metcalfe this month to say there had been “so much rubbish and I’m just sick of it”.
But Turkey can tell the U.S. all about underestimating Australia: captain Hakan Calhanoglu said his side were “more talented” and would “dominate” before their unexpected defeat.
Perhaps sensibly after goalscorer Nestory Irankunda said Australia took Calhanoglu’s words as motivation, Weah tried to play things down, saying: “All the talk is just nonsense.”
His U.S. teammate Sebastian Berhalter recalled October’s battle, during which coach Mauricio Pochettino berated his players for not matching the Australians’ physicality.
“Watch that match last year, you could see they were up for it,” he said on Tuesday. “I think that’s when Mauricio had that halftime rant and he said ‘these guys can’t kick us around’.”
Weah said the U.S. had become “more aggressive” since and Berhalter put the change down to Pochettino, saying the Argentine had “showed us Americans what we’re about”.
“We’re American, we don’t take shit,” Berhalter said. Australia’s Alessandro Circati, though, said much the same of his countrymen: “We don’t take it either.”
(Reporting by Sam Tobin, Editing by Ken Ferris)
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