Seattle (CNN) — Last October’s World Cup warm-up match between the US Men’s National Team (USMNT) and Australia was anything but friendly. Despite just two yellow cards being shown, the game got heated, with tempers boiling over early in the first 45 minutes.
So egregious was the physicality in the eyes of the typically affable Chris Richards, the American defender seethed to reporters after the 2-1 win, “They’re lucky it was a friendly. I was ready to go,” according to The Athletic. “And if (referee Kwinsi Williams) didn’t give me a sh*t yellow in the corner, I probably would’ve killed somebody.”
How his players reacted, or their lack of reaction, to the Socceroos’ style of play triggered United States coach Mauricio Pochettino to tap into his primal instinct as a ticked-off manager. He laid into the squad at the break, giving his players a bit of a talking to after the USMNT’s best player, Christian Pulisic, was forced to leave the game with a leg injury.
Pochettino’s words that day echo within his team and have become part of USMNT culture ahead of Friday’s crucial Group D kickoff (3 p.m. ET).
“‘These guys can’t kick us around!’” US player Sebastian Berhalter recounted the coach’s outburst this week in the buildup to Friday’s tilt between the two teams in Seattle.
“They (Australia) were putting in challenges and I think that’s one of the reasons Mauricio had that halftime rant … I think he was right.”
Berhalter wasn’t done enlightening the gathered media about what the former Chelsea and Tottenham man has brought to the squad since taking over from Berhalter’s father, Gregg, as the team’s head coach.
“One is that we’re American and we don’t take sh*t” the midfielder said. “I think that’s something that he really put in (here).
“Even though he’s Argentinian, he has that mindset of like, look, this is what we do and this is who we are and this is what America’s about. So even from the outside perspective, he showed us Americans what we’re about. He really drilled that into us.”
Berhalter’s honest talk quickly reached the Socceroos camp.
When Australia defender Alessandro Circati was asked about the midfielder’s remarks on Wednesday, he initially laughed and didn’t have a response, but then added, “I mean, we don’t take it either. I think we’re just out there to play a game of football, to win and to do our best. And yeah, it doesn’t matter what he said.”
The match will no doubt follow a similar theme to that game last fall, with both sides leaning into their physicality and willingness to ride the fine line between bossing play and racking up cards.
Circati rightfully noted the two national teams are more similar than different.
“We’re a very big team, a very physical team. Even players, which maybe you look at and they’re not the biggest players, I think they’re very, very physical. People go into challenges giving 100 percent. And if anything, I wouldn’t see it any less physical than the last game because now there’s big stakes on the line.”
American Tim Weah, who may see more playing time Friday with Pulisic nursing a calf injury, dittoed Circati this week when asked about the hype surrounding the showdown.
“When you look at the Australian team, they’re a young team that has a lot of fight, a lot of grit, and a lot of hunger, just like us,” the forward said. “We respect them in the same way that we respect any other opponent.
“I think it’s going to be a lovely game.”
Will he or won’t he play?
Fans are rightly questioning if Pulisic will be able to go against the Australians. The captain, whose skill and flair have propelled him to be the face of the team for years, is nursing a left calf injury and has spent most of the week training on his own away from his teammates.
Somewhat lost in the euphoria of the Americans’ dominating win over Paraguay in the US’ first match in Group D play was Pulisic’s quiet substitution at halftime. After all, the team was up 3-0 at the break, fully in command with fans elated with the team’s tournament debut. “Captain America” was causing major problems for Los Guaraníes’ backline in the first 45 minutes – creatively orchestrating the early opener and then exposing the vulnerable Paraguayan defense again to pick out striker Folarin Balogun for the Americans’ second goal.
On Thursday, Pochettino said the AC Milan star was giving a “fantastic effort” to heal and had improved since last Friday but was still “evolving.”
Pochettino, of course, would want to keep the Aussies on their toes about whether America’s generational talent would play.
But after the 27-year-old was controversially forced out of the October match, no doubt the most capped player on the squad (87 appearances) would like another crack at the Socceroos on the biggest stage of them all.
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