It is time for the war of the words to finally come to an end.
Australia and the United States are just over an hour away from facing off, and the final barbs have been thrown by pundits across the world.
While Mike Grella has been at the centre of all headlines heading into the match due to his consistent comments underestimating his nation’s looming rivals, it appears as though no one else is willing to make sure bold declarations.
Tony Popovic has overseen the Socceroos for less than two years. Getty Images
Especially not US coach Mauricio Pochettino, who has warned his team that if they want to win this match they need to match Australia’s attitude.
“It’s difficult to play [against] a team that really believes in what they are doing. That is what I like about the (Socceroos),” he told reporters on Friday (AEST).
Tony Popovic, a follower of Pochettino’s career, recognised that his team has the chance to stamp “Australian football on the world map” by defeating the US.
To do that, they must ignore the external noise around this game and perform.
“We started off well against Turkiye winning, now we want to back it up,” Popovic said.
“We’ll continue striving to do that to improve our football and improve our standing in how people perceive Australian football.
“It’s not through words, it’s through what we do on the pitch and (this game) another opportunity to do that. We want to earn our respect.”