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Ultimate grudge match: Can the Socceroos silence the American hype? · The Morning Edition

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  S1: Hey everyone, it's Samantha here, your host of The Morning Edition. Now,
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  S1: we're not ordinarily in the business of sport, but there
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  S1: is obviously a lot of excitement about Australia's World Cup
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  S1: match against team USA. Our reporter Vince Gregory will be
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  S1: there for the game in Seattle. Our time on Saturday morning.
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  S1: And he joins us today. Hey, Vince, thanks for being
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  S1: with us.
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  S2: Hey, Sam. No worries. Great to great to be with you.
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  S1: Okay, first off, there's a lot of angst behind this
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  S1: upcoming match. Why so?
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  S2: Uh, well, there's a couple of reasons. One is, uh,
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  S2: the Australia and the USA played a friendly, uh, in
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  S2: October last year, I think it was, which was quite fiery.
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  S2: The US won two one, but there were a number
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  S2: of little scuffles that broke out during the game and
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  S2: allegations of dangerous tackles, etcetera. And it was, uh, yeah,
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  S2: pretty spiteful affair. So when the World Cup draw was
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  S2: conducted a couple of years later and both teams landed
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  S2: in the same group, everyone's immediate thought was, okay, we're
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  S2: going to have the rematch now, and that's going to
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  S2: be everyone would be looking forward to this game regardless. Uh,
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  S2: for that reason. Uh, but then we also have the
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  S2: additional reason of the way that the US soccer punditry
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  S2: community has treated the Socceroos, uh, since then. Uh, a
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  S2: few things have been said and been remembered, uh, by
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  S2: the players and coaches and fans as well. Mike Grella,
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  S2: one of the analysts on CBS, uh, immediately described the
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  S2: Socceroos as a lay up for the US, which is
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  S2: a basketball term for, uh, for a shot that is
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  S2: easily converted, let's say. Uh, so, uh, that's what he said.
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  S2: Alexi Lalas, uh, has described the Socceroos as the weakest
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  S2: team in the group. Uh, that the group was a
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  S2: gift from the soccer gods for America. Uh, and, uh,
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  S2: Landon Donovan, another former US international turned pundit, described the
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  S2: Socceroos coach, Tony Popovic, as smug. Uh, because of the
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  S2: way his face looked after the draw was conducted. Um,
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  S2: which was, uh, I'm pretty sure that's just what his
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  S2: face looks like, but Landon interpreted it as a, as
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  S2: a degree of smugness because he was happy that, um,
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  S2: and this is another thing that's important to remember as well.
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  S2: We were in Australia, was in pot two for the
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  S2: World Cup draw, and we were the lowest ranked team
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  S2: in pot two. So the Americans are understandably happy that
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  S2: they got us from pot two and not some of
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  S2: the other higher ranking nations, for instance, like Croatia. But equally, uh,
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  S2: Australian fans are pretty happy that we got, uh, the
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  S2: United States from pot one and not a team like
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  S2: Spain or France or Brazil or some of the big dogs, uh,
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  S2: in world football. So both teams, both sides are happy. Uh, well,
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  S2: were happy with the draw when it happened. Uh, but
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  S2: only one side, uh, sort of, uh, evolved that happiness into,
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  S2: you know, disregard and disrespect some people might say about
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  S2: the opposition. So, uh, Australians haven't taken that well.
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  S1: Okay, Vince. So a lot of trash talking there from
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  S1: the American side towards the Socceroos. What's our side's response
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  S1: been to that.
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  S2: Uh, Australian stoicism, I would say. Um, no one's saying anything. Uh,
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  S2: in fact, the only thing anyone is really saying is
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  S2: keep talking. This is good for us. Basically. It's a
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  S2: it's a great Australian sporting tradition of um, hearing the opposition, um,
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  S2: say bad things about you and then printing it off
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  S2: and putting it on the wall of the, of the
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  S2: dressing room before the games. All the players can read
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  S2: it and be fired up when they run out there. Um, uh,
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  S2: Australians are used to be written, are used to being
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  S2: written off at the World Cup and it seems it
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  S2: just keeps happening no matter what the Socceroos do at
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  S2: the World Cup. Uh, other teams have not learned from it. Uh,
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  S2: you'd think the United States I should mention as well. Like,
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  S2: it's not like the US players or coaches are saying
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  S2: anything along these, these lines. It's only only their pundits,
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  S2: but their pundits probably don't realize that they're not helping
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  S2: their team when they say all this stuff, because, uh,
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  S2: they know that it's, it's material for the Socceroos. So, uh, yeah,
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  S2: Tony Popovich and his players are just, uh, uh, playing
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  S2: a straight bat, as they say. And, uh, and just,
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  S2: just listening and remembering and preparing.
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  S1: Okay. But there has been a lot of shock, I think,
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  S1: in the country that we defeated Turkey last Sunday. So
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  S1: should we have been that shocked that we defeated Turkey?
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  S1: And perhaps you can answer that by telling us, I guess,
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  S1: about the star pedigree of some of our players and
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  S1: who we should perhaps be looking out for on Saturday.
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  S2: Yeah, absolutely. Uh, I think we should have been, or
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  S2: I certainly was surprised, but I wasn't shocked. Uh, it
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  S2: was within the range of possibilities available to the Socceroos
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  S2: at the moment because they're in a, in an interesting
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  S2: spot as a team. They have a bunch of, you know,
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  S2: 6 or 7 really good young players, you know, 23
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  S2: and under some, you know, uh, 20 years old is necessary.
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  S2: And Kundu, who I'm sure we're going to talk about,
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  S2: but the Socceroos have this, this group of, of really
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  S2: amazing young players, some of the best young talent that
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  S2: Australia has produced. Produced for a long time, coming through
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  S2: together at once. And the question for this tournament wasn't
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  S2: can they win games because everyone knows they've got talent
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  S2: and ability, more so than some of Australia's previous World
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  S2: Cup teams. It was just, are they going to do
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  S2: it on this stage at the World Cup? They're inexperienced.
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  S2: Do they need to um, you know, get some runs
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  S2: on the board first to use a cricket term and uh,
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  S2: and experience what a World Cup is like before they
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  S2: can go back to a World Cup and win games. But, uh,
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  S2: sometimes I think the benefit of, of youth is that
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  S2: you actually don't feel the pressure, you don't actually care
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  S2: so much. So you can rip in on the World
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  S2: Cup stage and it doesn't affect you so much. And
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  S2: that's what happened against Turkey so necessary. And Kunda scored
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  S2: the first goal. Uh, I wrote about him for a
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  S2: good weekend, uh, last weekend. And this guy is the
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  S2: jewel of this generation, an absolute freak who can his
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  S2: his ball striking ability is like nothing I've seen in
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  S2: world football before. Um, so there's a lot more to
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  S2: come from him, but there's so many others at the
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  S2: moment in the Socceroos there's, there's Geordie boss at left
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  S2: wing back. He's uh he's 22, 23 playing in the Netherlands. Uh,
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  S2: Alessandro Shihadeh a defender. He's playing in Italy's Serie A.
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  S2: Lucas Harrington an 18 year old kid who is the
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  S2: subject of a of a transfer bid from Barcelona, one
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  S2: of the biggest clubs in the world where no Australian's
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  S2: ever played at Barcelona before. Uh, and they've been bidding
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  S2: on him before. He has even played a minute of
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  S2: this World Cup. Uh, Mohamed Touré, I think he's 22,
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  S2: a striker at Norwich who's been scoring at an unbelievable
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  S2: rate since he went there in January. Uh, his coach
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  S2: has compared him to Erling Haaland, one of the best
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  S2: strikers in the game. So it's a really exciting time
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  S2: to be a Socceroo fan because all these guys are
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  S2: coming through and no one knows where their ceiling is
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  S2: right now. No one knows. We know how good they
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  S2: could be and hopefully they're going to be very, very
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  S2: good and take Australia far at the next few World Cups.
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  S2: But the question is, how far can they take Australia
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  S2: at this World Cup. Uh, we're still finding out, and
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  S2: I think we're going to have a lot of fun
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  S2: on the way.
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  S1: Okay. So obviously, like you say, an exciting time there.
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  S1: And you did mention one of the standout players, of course,
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  S1: in that match against Turkey. And that was necessary. Aaron Kunda.
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  S1: Now he is one of four players of African descent
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  S1: from Adelaide in the team. Can you just tell us
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  S1: a bit about the significance of that particular crop of players?
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  S2: Yeah, the Socceroos in my opinion, and uh, some others,
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  S2: including some players, have always been the best, uh, sporting
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  S2: reflection of Australia in terms of how our society actually
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  S2: is our multicultural society. Uh, you know, in the 70s,
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  S2: 80s and 90s, the team, um, was filled with a
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  S2: lot of names of like Italian, Greek, Croatian background, because
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  S2: that was, um, what our migration patterns were serving up
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  S2: the national team at that time. And what's been happening
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  S2: in the last sort of ten or so years, uh, is,
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  S2: is a bit of a shift. Uh, and now, um,
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  S2: some African communities, uh, Including refugees. Some of these boys
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  S2: come from refugee families. Um, uh, have all moved to Australia.
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  S2: And now, uh, people from those communities or second generation
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  S2: sons and daughters from those communities are starting to come
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  S2: through the Australian system at the moment. And some of
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  S2: them are insanely talented, have attributes that, uh, the Socceroos
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  S2: have never really had before that, you know, quite often quick,
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  S2: powerful direct players. Uh, you can see the, you know,
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  S2: throughout international football, migration is a huge, um, driving force. Uh,
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  S2: never before have there been so many players at a
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  S2: World Cup where they're representing a country other than the
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  S2: one that they're born in. And if you look at
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  S2: a team like France, for instance, you can see the
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  S2: influence on, you know, probably colonization, to be honest. But but,
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  S2: you know, multiculturalism within France, and that's made them a very,
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  S2: very powerful team in the last few decades. A similar
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  S2: thing could be happening now with the Socceroos. And it's
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  S2: good for a few reasons. One is it benefits Australia
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  S2: on the football field. Uh, but two, It also showcases
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  S2: a side of Australia to the rest of the world
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  S2: who might not understand much about who we actually are
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  S2: as a country.
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  S1: That's so interesting and timely. Now, I wanted to ask
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  S1: you a bit about the team selection that we might
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  S1: see on Saturday against the United States, because Socceroos coach
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  S1: Tony Popovic, he sort of had a few surprises there,
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  S1: a few surprises in there in terms of who he
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  S1: selected to play against Turkey. So are we going to
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  S1: see some surprises on Saturday do you think?
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  S2: Almost certainly. I've literally just finished a story where the
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  S2: first line is, if you happen to predict Australia starting
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  S2: 11 against Turkey, the next thing you should have done
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  S2: is buy a lottery ticket because Tony Popovic, uh, is
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  S2: a master at throwing curve balls. He does it all
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  S2: the time. Nobody thought he would drop Matt Ryan and
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  S2: Jackson Irvine to the bench against Turkey. Uh, when everyone
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  S2: saw that he'd done it, everyone thought he'd gone crazy,
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  S2: and then they won. And now he's a genius. And
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  S2: I think he's earned a bit of trust. Uh, one
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  S2: thing I know about Tony Popovic is that making predictions
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  S2: is absolutely futile, because he will come up with something
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  S2: that no one has thought of or, um, considered before.
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  S2: So I have no doubt that something crazy is going
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  S2: to happen in the team sheet when it drops again. Uh,
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  S2: when I get to Seattle in a couple of days. And, uh,
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  S2: it'll be interesting to see what happens after that. But
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  S2: I think, uh, Popper, as the fans call him, deserves
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  S2: a little bit of, uh, latitude because there's always a
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  S2: method to his madness.
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  S1: Interesting. And I wanted to ask you about the American side.
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  S1: I mean, let's start off with a basic question. Why
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  S1: do they think they're better than us? Are they?
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  S2: Yeah, they probably are. Man for man. Uh, I think
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  S2: the American team is where kind of where the Socceroos
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  S2: would like to be at, you know, in four years
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  S2: time or a little bit further down the track, uh,
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  S2: some of their, you know, talented players are a little
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  S2: bit further ahead in their careers. Uh, they've developed better.
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  S2: There are better clubs in better leagues across Europe, and
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  S2: they've got a few who are really starring at the
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  S2: top level. Christian Pulisic plays for AC Milan in Italy.
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  S2: Weston McKennie plays for Juventus, so they really do have
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  S2: some top caliber players. I don't think there are a
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  S2: whole lot better than Australia and even if they are.
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  S2: The great thing about the World Cup that we've seen
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  S2: so far is it doesn't necessarily. If you have quality players,
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  S2: it doesn't necessarily guarantee you a victory. Uh, Spain, uh,
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  S2: were held to a nil nil draw the other day
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  S2: by Cape Verde. Um, and nobody thought that was going
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  S2: to happen. And there's been upsets all over the place
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  S2: at this World Cup so far. So just because a
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  S2: team or a squad is better on paper doesn't mean
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  S2: that's the way it's going to be on the grass.
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  S2: And that's you could say the same thing about Turkey.
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  S2: Turkey have. Oh well, yeah, they still have. I was
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  S2: going to say had. They're still they're two of the
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  S2: best young players in the game. Uh, but they couldn't
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  S2: figure out what to do against the Socceroos defence. So yeah,
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  S2: it means nothing really.
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  S1: Okay, so this brings me to a vexed question then,
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  S1: which is Vince who's going to win on Saturday?
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  S2: I have absolutely no idea. No, honey. No. God, no
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  S2: no no. I had no hunch against Turkey either, and
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  S2: I was pleasantly surprised. So I'm going to keep going
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  S2: with that. But obviously I really hope it's the Socceroos
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  S2: because there's a strong chance if they win again. Uh,
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  S2: they could have, uh, sealed top spot in Group D
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  S2: with a game to spare depending on the result in
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  S2: the other game, which would mean Tony Popovic could rest
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  S2: his players in the third game. Uh, and that also
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  S2: know where they have to travel for the knockout phase
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  S2: as well. That would be fantastic. That's getting slightly ahead
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  S2: of myself though. Um, but, uh, yes, to reinforce my
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  S2: answer to the question, I have no idea.
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  S1: And so this is from someone who's not an expert
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  S1: in this area. So let's just say the Socceroos do win.
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  S1: Do we know who they'd be playing next?
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  S2: Well, yes. Our third group game is against Paraguay. That'll
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  S2: be next week in San Jose. Uh, how much that
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  S2: game matters will be determined by this weekend's game? Um, yeah.
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  S2: And that's going to be a tough game as well.
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  S2: But um the Socceroos have started, you know, ever so
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  S2: well uh, Turkey people thought was the toughest game of
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  S2: the group. Uh, on paper when we, when we looked
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  S2: at the group, um, and we've come through with that, uh,
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  S2: with a two nil win, which is more than most
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  S2: people expected. So they're in a really good spot at
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  S2: the moment. And I just have a feeling that this,
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  S2: this US game is going to be an amazing spectacle
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  S2: to national teams that, um, you know, are similar in
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  S2: a lot of ways. Two nations that are similar in
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  S2: a lot of ways in soccer as well. It's not
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  S2: the number one sport in either country. They're both used
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  S2: to being told by other countries, uh, that, you know,
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  S2: they don't matter, that they're not very good at the
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  S2: World Cup. Um, and so yeah, they're going to go
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  S2: at it in front of a massive crowd and a
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  S2: high stakes game. I can't wait.
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  S1: Wow. Very exciting. Well, thank you so much, Vince, for
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  S1: your time.
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  S2: My pleasure.