By Rory Carroll
IRVINE, California, June 16 (Reuters) – The United States are refusing to buy into suggestions that Friday’s World Cup Group D clash with Australia in Seattle will be straightforward, with winger Tim Weah saying the Americans are focused on preparation rather than outside noise.
CBS Sports analyst and former MLS player Mike Grella described the match as a “lay-up” for the U.S. and called Australia the “weakest team in the group.”
U.S. great Landon Donovan, now a Fox Sports analyst, tipped the Socceroos to finish bottom before the tournament and described coach Tony Popovic as “smug”.
But Weah said the comments had no bearing on the U.S. team’s approach.
“All the talk is nonsense to me,” Weah told reporters at the team’s base camp in Irvine on Tuesday.
“When you look at the Australian team, they are a young team that have a lot of fight, a lot of grit and a lot of hunger, just like us.
“So we respect them in the same way that we would respect any other opponent. I don’t know what the media is trying to do, but we’re not really focused on that. We’re focused on the bigger picture and doing what we have to do as a team to be prepared.”
Australia will arrive in Seattle full of confidence after opening their campaign with a 2-0 upset win over Turkey, built on a disciplined defensive display and clinical attacking moments.
U.S. midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said the Socceroos had already shown they would be difficult to score against.
“You saw it was tough for Turkey, obviously. They had a hard time breaking them down,” he said.
“They were really good. I loved the way they defended, honestly. They were a unit and they gave everything that they had. They did really well. It’s going to be a great game.”
The U.S. are also assessing the fitness of Christian Pulisic, who was substituted at halftime in their opening 4-1 win over Paraguay with a calf issue. The forward is being monitored day-to-day.
Weah said Pulisic appeared to be recovering well.
“To me, he’s looked as he always has,” Weah said. “He looks normal, he looks fit. He took a little bit of a knock, so he’s been with the trainers on the side, but I think he’ll be ready for the game.
“I’m just praying to God that he’ll be 100% fit because he’ll be needed.”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll, Editing by Ken Ferris)
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