Berhalter Spurs Australia-United States Barbs Before Group D Clash — Betway

betway is now tied to a hotter-than-usual Australia-United States buildup, with Sebastian Berhalter setting the tone before a Group D match that could decide first place. Berhalter said, "I think one [of this team’s core beliefs] is that we’re American. We don’t take shit."

Berhalter Answers The Lay-Up Talk

The remarks did not start on Wednesday. They began after the draw late last year, when commentators described the Socceroos as a "lay up" for the Americans and former professional player Mike Grella said Australia should be a lay-up for the hosts.

Grella added, "If they do something in this tournament – which they won’t – if they do something in this tournament, they should make a statue of me there in Australia, because I’ve unified an entire country." Former USA player Landon Donovan took the same line after the draw, saying, "You can get on the Qantas airplane and head back home."

Circati Pushes Back For Australia

Australia did not let Berhalter’s line stand alone. Alessandro Circati replied, "I’ve got no response to that," then added, "I mean, we don’t take it [shit] either." He closed with a cleaner football point: "We’re just out there to play a game of football, to win, and to do our best."

That response fit a pattern that had already been building for two weeks. On Josh Mansour’s podcast, Maty Ryan said, "I’ve heard there’s been some Americans saying comments and to be honest I have a chuckle to myself because actions speak louder than words and I try to let my football do the talking." He also said, "Ain’t no C-word scoring against me." Ryan had lost his place to Patrick Beach.

Grella And Lalas Turn Up Heat

The outside noise kept rising on Wednesday. Alexi Lalas called the Socceroos "average" and said, "I hope that they print it out." He added, "Make sure you spell my name correctly," and, "I hope that it’s wallpaper all around the Australian dressing room, because they’re going to need all the help they can get."

Harry Kewell said he hadn’t heard of Mike Grella, which only sharpened the odd tone of the exchange between the two sides. The match itself is highly anticipated and likely to decide the winner of Group D, so every line has landed with more force than a routine pregame jab.

Australia now walks into a game defined as much by the words around it as by the result on the field. If the Socceroos use those comments as fuel, the noise will follow them into Group D with no chance of fading first.