Connor Metcalfe has had enough of the noise coming out of America. The Australian midfielder made his frustration clear on Saturday, dismissing months of barbs from U.S. commentators ahead of the World Cup group stage clash scheduled for mid-June.
Since Australia landed in Group D alongside the United States in December, American pundits have treated the Socceroos as an easy mark. Landon Donovan, the former U.S. striker, predicted Australia would finish last behind the Americans, Turkey, and Paraguay. He took a shot at coach Tony Popovic too, calling him smug and suggesting the team book their return flight early.
CBS analyst Mike Grella went further, calling the Australia matchup a "lay-up" for the U.S. side, ranked 16th in the world. Most recently, Alexi Lalas, a former American defender, labeled the 27th-ranked Socceroos an "average team" following their 1-0 loss to Mexico.
Metcalfe made clear the constant criticism has worn thin. "I mean, I've seen all the US stuff, and I'm just sick of it, to be honest," he said. "Like all this talk, it's just rubbish and I'm just sick of it. So we'll just wait and we'll play, it'll be a good game."
The two nations have history on the pitch. In a friendly last October in Colorado, the U.S. defeated Australia 2-1 in a physical, tense affair that nearly boiled over when American defender Chris Richards squared up to Jason Geria after an injury to Christian Pulisic.
While Popovic has publicly brushed off the commentary, the sting appears to have reached his players. Australia has two weeks to prepare, with a Swiss friendly on tap before the Turkey opener on June 19.
Popovic addressed squad matters ahead of the Switzerland game, confirming that Cristian Volpato would be available and expecting the attacker to see minutes. Volpato arrived late to camp and sat out the Mexico match. The coach noted the player's conditioning needs work after his recent switch of international allegiance from Italy.
"There's no doubts about him as a person or as a player," Popovic said. "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 downplayed any internal friction over Volpato's recent change of sides. "It's been pretty smooth sailing," he said. "He's come in, he's a really nice, relaxed guy. We see it online and we know the past, but we're not here to talk about that."
Author James Rodriguez: "The Socceroos are clearly using American dismissal as fuel, and that smoke will only get thicker when these teams finally meet on the field."
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