IRVINE, Calif. — The soccer world has suddenly been telling the U.S. National Team how good they are, how impressive they looked in their World Cup opener.
They can’t listen. Or they’ll flush all the good work of that 4-1 win over Paraguay down the toilet.
Bill Parcells used to liken praise to cheese in a rat trap, and warned his players “don’t eat the cheese.” Team USA needs to heed that Hall of Fame advice.
They’ve earned the top spot in Group D with their resounding opening victory. But they would give it away if overconfidence leads to defeat Friday against Australia, if they get stunned in Seattle.
That’s the exact immature mistake that Turkey made against these Aussies, and it cost them in a 2-0 loss in Vancouver. The U.S. has the advantage of having seen that result and needs to learn from Turkey’s example.
“I saw a well-executed game plan from Australia,” said U.S. striker Haji Wright. “They’re tough to break down, and they’re dangerous on counterattacks. They have good players at the top of the pitch, and they were able to be effective and damage [Turkey].
“Yeah, [Turkey] came into the game a bit overconfident, and we won’t make that same mistake. I think we know every team in the tournament is a good team and they deserve to be here. So we’re ready for that.”
They’d better be.
Wright — a former New York Cosmos forward now with Coventry City — knows Australia well, scoring a brace against the Socceroos last Oct. 14. He and the U.S. are well aware of how feisty and physical Australia is — or at least, they should be, after needing to come from behind for that 2-1 win.
“Yeah, it was definitely competitive,” Wright said. “I remember us going into that game and they were laying in tough challenges, and then we had to match the intensity. I remember going to halftime the coach wasn’t too happy with letting them punch us in a way without punching back. So, yeah, going into this game, we’ll be able to prepare a bit more knowing how they’re going to be.”
The U.S. has its own experience to learn from. And Turkey’s costly one.
Turkish captain Hakan Çalhanoglu had crowed before the Group D opener that they would “dominate.” Instead, the Socceroos put on a defensive master class, letting Turkey have 72 percent possession and 30 shots, but ruthlessly counterattacking their way to a win that has them level with the U.S. on points.
Now, with the U.S. going into Friday’s matchup clinging to a tiebreaker lead, American pundits are offering similar dismissals that Team USA would do well to ignore.
CBS Sports’ Mike Grella — a former Red Bull and Glen Cove, Long Island native — opined that Australia should be a “layup.” Then he doubled down, saying he’d bet a “couple thousand bucks” on a U.S. victory and would wear a Socceroos jersey if Australia won.
“What are they drinking over there because they have no shot of doing anything at the World Cup?” Grella said. “They’re the weakest team in the group.
“There’s no shot Australia can compete with the U.S. The only way they can play is in defense and try to keep it 0-0.”
The Americans can’t afford to eat the cheese Grella and others are offering, or they’ll choke on it.
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Asked if his ex-Red Bulls teammate’s commentary was accurate or helpful, Tyler Adams said it was neither.
“I don’t think any commentary helps anybody. And no, it’s not going to be a layup. If anything, it’s going to be one of the most difficult games that we play,” Adams said. “We saw a team that went out against [Turkey] and competed at a very high level. They’re combative, they’re smart. Tactically, they were unbelievably sound. So I think it’s going to be an extremely difficult game.”
Adams said he hadn’t spoken to Grella about his hot take.
“I didn’t text him. He didn’t text me,” Adams said. “But it’s definitely not going to be a layup.”
They’d better not expect one. Or they’ll waste all the good work of their opening win.
