USA midfielder Sebastian Berhalter threw fresh fuel on the buildup to USA vs Australia on Wednesday, saying the Americans “don’t take shit” as the sides head into a Group D match that has been framed as one likely to decide who finishes first. The remark landed after weeks of verbal sparring and gave the fixture another edge before a ball has been kicked.
The timing matters because the two teams were drawn together late last year and the noise around the match has grown ever since. Commentators have described Australia as a lay-up for the Americans, and former USA players have piled on with dismissive comments that have only sharpened the mood around the game.
Berhalter’s line was matched almost immediately by Alessandro Circati, who said he had “no response” to it and added that Australia do not take it either. He said the Socceroos are going out to play football, win and do their best. Circati also described Popovic as smart, a nod to the calmer tone Australia have tried to keep even as the talk around them has turned hostile.
That split in tone is the point of friction. Maty Ryan, speaking two weeks ago on Josh Mansour’s podcast, said he has “a chuckle” when he hears Americans making comments and prefers to let his football do the talking. He said he is confident Australia can beat the hosts. Across the same buildup, Mike Grella called the Socceroos a lay-up and said he believed they have never been more united as a football side, while Landon Donovan told Australia to get on the Qantas airplane and head back home. Alexi Lalas went further, calling Australia average and urging them to print out his words and use them as wallpaper in the dressing room.
Australia have leaned into the underdog role rather than retreat from it, and the verbal edge has become part of the match itself. Harry Kewell said he had not heard of Grella, while Ryan’s view stayed rooted in the same idea Circati voiced: the scoreboard, not the noise, will settle this one. If Group D is decided the way people around the match now expect, the arguments will stop only when USA and Australia settle it on the field.
