Connor Metcalfe, a midfielder for the Socceroos, has had enough of the criticism directed at Australia from the United States. Since the draw for Group D, which placed Australia alongside the co-hosts, the Socceroos have become targets for American commentators.
Former US striker Landon Donovan called Socceroos coach Tony Popovic “smug” and predicted that Australia would finish last in the group, behind the US, Turkey, and Paraguay. He sarcastically remarked, “Thanks for coming, Aussies and your smug coach – you can get back on the Qantas airplane and head back home, pal.”
CBS analyst Mike Grella dismissed the upcoming match, labeling it a “lay-up” for Mauricio Pochettino’s American team, currently ranked 16th in the world. Recently, former US international Alexi Lalas added to the criticism by calling the Socceroos an “average team” following their 1-0 defeat to Mexico.
While Coach Popovic has chosen to laugh off these remarks, the comments have clearly ignited a spark in his players. With nearly two weeks remaining until their match on June 19 (June 20 AEST), Australia is now preparing for a friendly against Switzerland, followed by their opening game against Turkey.
Metcalfe expressed his frustration about the ongoing US commentary, stating, “I mean, I’ve seen all the US stuff, and I’m just sick of it, to be honest – I just am. Like all this talk – it’s just – let’s just wait for the game, whatever happens, happens.”
He added, “It’s just so much rubbish and I’m just sick of it. So we’ll just wait and we’ll play – it’ll be a good game. We had a friendly against them. It was tense, it was feisty, and probably going to be the exact same.”
In their previous encounter in Colorado last October, the US handed Australia their first loss under Coach Popovic, with a score of 2-1. The match was marked by intense physicality, including a moment when US defender Chris Richards nearly confronted Socceroo Jason Geria after team captain Christian Pulisic sustained an injury.
Popovic confirmed that Cristian Volpato is “fit and available” for the match against Switzerland and expects him to play after the attacker arrived late for the camp and missed the game against Mexico. The Socceroos head coach noted that Volpato has looked impressive since switching his allegiance from Italy, although he needed to improve his fitness to catch up with his teammates.
“There’s no doubts about him as a person or as a player,” Popovic remarked. “We’ve just got to get him fit. He hasn’t played a lot of football and he had eight to nine days off before he joined us.”
Metcalfe responded to inquiries regarding whether Volpato’s late decision to switch national teams had caused any issues within the squad, saying, “It’s been pretty smooth sailing. I mean, he’s come in, he’s a really nice, relaxed guy. We see it online and we know the past and what’s been done, but we’re not here to talk about that. Whatever’s said is done, so it’s fine.”
