IN BRIEF
- Socceroos defender Alessandro Circati said the Socceroos are preparing to win against the USA.
- USA midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said the US side "won't take shit".
The Socceroos shocked the world with a 2-0 win over Türkiye, and they intend to shock the World Cup hosts, the United States, in their second World Cup matchup on Saturday morning Australian time.
They will be facing a USA team flying high after a first-game 4-1 thrashing of Paraguay in Los Angeles.
USA midfielder Sebastian Berhalter has given credit for his team's recent tenacity to coach Mauricio Pochettino, who has taken over a team that repeatedly flopped on the international stage and infused it with a stronger mentality grounded in a few core beliefs.
"I think one is that we’re American. We don’t take shit," Berhalter said on Wednesday when asked by a reporter what Pochettino had done to change the mindset of the team.
"I think that’s something that (Pochettino) really put in," Berhalter continued. "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 is about.' So I think he just, you know, even from an outside perspective, he showed us Americans what we’re about. He really drilled that into us, and I think that’s something that has helped us this last cycle."
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When asked about Berthalter's comments at the Socceroos training base in California on Wednesday, defender Alessandro Circati responded that Australia wouldn't take any either.
"I've got no response to that. 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."
Circati wouldn't be drawn on any changes to the potential starting lineup for the match, saying that was a matter for coach Tony Popovic.
The World Cup debutante said he is tiring of Australia's underdog label.
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"I hope we're starting to gain a little bit more respect. I don't want to be the underdogs for the rest of my life. I want to be a team which everyone faces and is like, 'Ah, we've got to play Australia.'"
While some USA players have described their team and style of play as very physical, Circati said that descriptor also applies to the Australians.
"We're a very big team, 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 given 100 per cent. And if anything, I wouldn't see it any less physical than the last game because now there's big stakes on the line."
USA winger Timothy Weah said he believes his team are more aggressive since defeating the Socceroos 2-1 in October.
Like teammates Tyler Adams and Haji Wright, Weah isn't buying into US punditry from the likes of former professional player Mike Grella, who told CBS' Golazo! show earlier this year: "What are they drinking over there? They've got no shot of doing anything at the World Cup and they're the weakest team in the group."
Grella has since doubled down on his criticism despite Australia's win over Türkiye. "If they do something in this tournament, which they won't ... they should make a statue of me over there in Australia because I've unified an entire country," he said on the Golazo! show on Wednesday.
Weah told reporters: "All the talk is nonsense to me."
"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."
Star USA forward Christian Pulisic is battling to overcome a calf injury ahead of Saturday's match, which kicks off at 5am AEST.
Viral video on multiculturalism
Ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup opening match, the Socceroos released a video where each spoke of where they were born, painting a picture of an incredibly multicultural team.
"No matter where you come from, football is for everyone," each Socceroo said one by one.
The video went viral after the Socceroos' opener, with an incredible goal scored by Nertory Irankunde who was born in a refugee camp.
Awer Mabil, who was born in a Kenyan refugee camp to South Sudanese parents, was asked at the press conference with Circati why the video resonated.
"It was a moment to describe what Australia is. Australia is a very multicultural country. In my opinion Australia is the best country in the world because of that," he said.
"We are many different backgrounds representing one shirt.
"It went viral because it was raw."
Mabil said that as Refugee Week coincides with the World Cup, his message to anyone who has experienced having to flee their home would be that "we are with you."
He also said the team is no longer concerned about their victory against Türkiye.
"As much as it was an amazing game, we have to forget it. Our focus is now on the US ... our focus is game by game."
- With additional reporting by Associated Press.
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