Tim Weah brushes aside USMNT legends’ war of words with Australia ahead of World Cup match-up
· Yahoo Sports
Since the FIFA World Cup draw in December, confidence that the U.S. Men’s National Team would sleepwalk through the group stage has been high amongst several team legends, including Landon Donovan, Alexi Lalas, and Mike Grella.
Each was more than comfortable in sharing their thoughts on the USMNT’s Group D opponents, Paraguay, Australia, and Türkiye, and it's safe to say their comments did not go down well in Australia.
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Speaking directly after the draw on FOX Sports, Lalas commented, “I think if you believe in the soccer gods, you should be thanking them. I think this is not just a good group, this is a great group, and this is a group that you should expect this United States team under Mauricio Pochettino to win and go through. So thank you to the soccer gods.”
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Donovan went on to appear on The Colin Cowherd Podcast, where he said, “The other three teams in our group are significantly, quote-unquote, worse than we are.”
Meanwhile, Grella said on CBS Sports immediately after Australia was drawn into the USMNT’s group that the game would be a “lay-up” for Mauricio Pochettino’s side. He continued, “Take nothing away from the Socceroos, they’ve always been competitive and good, but they stumbled a little during qualifying and were not so impressive. This is an amazing first team to have for the U.S.”
Grella went on to comment, via FOX Sports Australia, “If we can’t beat them, we shouldn’t go to the World Cup. If USA can’t beat Australia in a football match, stay home.”
Such comments seemingly did not sit well with Australia boss Tony Popovic, who said, “Anyone that underestimates us will get a rude shock when it comes to those group games.
“We’re always deemed as the underdog or the team that will be fighting for the bottom spot, and we have an opportunity through our actions, our performances, and results to show that that can be different.
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“And that’s what’s exciting for us, and that’s the challenge that awaits.”
Donovan didn’t calm tensions when he called Popovic “smug,” commenting, “Thanks for coming, Aussies. And your smug coach, you can get back on the Qantas airplane and head back home pal.
“He just had this smugness about him. I can’t wait, I wish I was on the field, I want to play these guys.”
Since then, both the USMNT and Australia have won their World Cup openers, with Pochettino’s side taking down Paraguay 4-1, while Popovic’s team beat Türkiye 2-0.
The two sides are set to face off on Friday at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, with winger Tim Weah quizzed on the long-standing tension surrounding this game.
Tyler Adams also attempted to distance the current team from comments made by ex-players -Credit:Jamie Squire/Getty Images“All this talk is just nonsense to me,” the OL Marseille star said after rolling his eyes, via The Guardian. “When you look at the Australian team, they’re a young team that has a lot of fight, a lot of grit, and a lot of hunger, just like us.
“We respect them in the same way that we respect any other opponent. I think it’s going to be a lovely game. I don’t know what the media is trying to do, but we’re not really focused on that.”
Midfielder Tyler Adams mirrored Weah’s decision to distance himself from derogatory comments about the Socceroos, stating, “I don’t think any commentary helps anybody. It’s not going to be a layup. If anything, it’s going to be one of the most difficult games we play.”