The USA’s war of words with Australia might be coming back to bite them, while England set off alarm bells with an unconvincing display against New Zealand in their final World Cup warm up game.
Plus, a major blow to another of the Socceroos’ Group D rivals as Iran learn their fate in their US visa saga. MORE IN WORLD CUP DAILY!
‘SO MUCH RUBBISH’: USA BEATEN AFTER SOCCEROOS DIG
Perhaps the USA should be focusing on their team.
After several American pundits have teed off on the Socceroos, the tournament co-hosts suffered a 2-1 loss to Germany in Chicago in their final warm-up game before the tournament kicks off next week.
Former USA men’s player Alexi Lalas was the most recent to fire barbs at Australia ahead of the two nations’ Group D meeting, saying Tony Popovic’s side was “an average team by any measure”.
Before assisting Tete Yengi’s debut goal to give the Socceroos an equaliser against Switzerland, Connor Metcalfe told reporters in San Diego: “I’ve seen all the US stuff and I’m just sick of it, to be honest.”
“Let’s just wait for the game. Whatever happens, happens,” the St Pauli midfielder continued.
“It’s just so much rubbish, honestly. I’m just sick of it.”
Australia’s Group D rivals Paraguay also suffered a significant blow on the eve of the tournament.
Paraguay forward Julio Enciso is now in doubt for the World Cup after the 22-year-old was stretchered off during a 4-0 win over Nicaragua.
Paraguay will meet the US in their tournament opener likely without the former Brighton, now Strasbourg attacker, who left the field in tears.
READ MORE
Socceroos bolter’s big statement as Aussies take it to Euro rival in final World Cup audition
France toppled by African nation in WC warm-up as Arnie’s Iraq stun European champs
‘Extremely disappointed’: 23-year first as Matildas on the wrong end of 92nd minute dagger
“Hopefully it’s nothing serious and just the result of an impact, and that we can keep him and get him back to full fitness,” Paraguay manager Gustavo Alfaro said.
“He suffered a double injury: first to his side and then to his lower back, which affected his quadriceps.
“He got scared and he had to come off.”
Meanwhile, Kai Havertz and Leroy Sane powered four-time World Cup winner Germany to victory despite a remarkable Antonee Robinson strike from outside the box to level the game for the US.
Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!
A packed 64,000 Chicago crowd began the afternoon in boisterous mood, with expectations sky high. Having dispatched Senegal 3-2 last weekend, US coach Mauricio Pochettino picked a close-to-first-choice line-up.
His side got off to a nightmare start.
Tyler Adams conceded a free kick just outside the box. Joshua Kimmich curled a perfect cross onto the head of Havertz, who nodded it into the net with just two minutes gone.
Both US centre-backs were at fault, with 38-year-old captain Tim Ream too slow and Miles Robinson — auditioning to start in place of the injured Chris Richards — left flat-footed.
It nearly got much worse for the hosts. Havertz had the ball in the net again from a Sane cross, but it was ruled offside.
Germany continued to slice through the US lines with ease, Sane rampaging down the right. Havertz almost turned provider in the 10th minute, flashing a dangerous ball across the goal, but the flag was raised again.
But after the early carnage, the US midfield anchored by Weston McKennie and Adams found their footing and exerted some control in the centre.
Sergino Dest, playing right wing, began to ask questions of Germany’s defence, nearly latching onto a Folarin Balogun cross, and then blasting over minutes later.
US talisman Christian Pulisic, also growing into the game, created the equaliser in the 37th minute. His turn and rampaging run from the US half led to a corner which he took.
Germany failed to clear and it fell to Robinson just outside the box, who blasted a first-time thunderbolt into the net.
The Fulham defender’s left-footed strike sailed straight down the middle of the goal but was struck so cleanly that keeper Oliver Baumann couldn’t get a finger to it.
The remaining few minutes of the half featured wave after wave of US attacks, with Dest and Pulisic again coming close, and Germany seemingly nullified.
– ‘Resilience’ –
Neither team made any half-time changes, and the US picked up where they had left off. Baumann made a great double save from Pulisic before a flag was raised for offside in the build-up.
Moments later Matt Freese made his first good save of the game, low and to his left from Jamal Musiala.
Sane put Germany back in front in the 57th minute, finishing off a smart team passing move around the edge of the US box with a low shot from a Havertz assist that deflected past Freese.
Both teams made multiple changes from the hour mark, hooking star players with their World Cup openers just a few days away. Robinson departed with a limp that was later described as cramp.
Substitute Nadiem Amiri came closest to adding to Germany’s tally, a thumping effort from outside the box flying just beyond the left post.
Brenden Aaronson, also from the bench, forced a fine save from Baumann. “To concede that early in a game like this is always going to make it difficult, but the character we showed, the energy, the resilience,” said Adams.
“I mean, guys were going at it like it was a World Cup final, and I think that’s what we wanted to see.” The US will begin their World Cup on Friday in Los Angeles against Paraguay, before clashes with Australia and Turkey.
Germany kick off their tournament Sunday against unfancied debutants Curacao, with further group games against Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
Last-minute dagger hands Tillies defeat | 01:48
KIWIS GIVE POMS SCARE
Harry Kane’s 79th international goal edged England to a 1-0 win over New Zealand as the Three Lions’ World Cup preparations got off to an underwhelming start in the Florida heat on Saturday.
Kane flicked in Djed Spence’s cross in first half stoppage time as England laboured to victory against a side 81 places below them in the world rankings.
New Zealand were thrashed 4-0 by Haiti on Wednesday but Thomas Tuchel’s men found clear-cut chances far harder to come by in their first experience of the brutal conditions Stateside.
Tuchel named two entirely different sides for each half, but there was little to read into his team selection ahead of England’s opening game of the World Cup against Croatia on June 10.
Marcus Rashford flashed a good opening wide from the edge of the box. Kane typically made the breakthrough from an in-swinging cross by Spence, who impressed at left-back.
Ivan Toney replaced Kane among the 11 changes made by Tuchel at the break. Toney thought he had won a penalty only for New Zealand to be rescued by a marginal offside call against the Al Ahli striker.
England dominated possession but could not add to their lead with the Kiwis happy to keep the score down.
Despite not having won a major tournament for 60 years, England go into the World Cup among the favourites having reached at least the quarter-finals in their last four tournaments.
They also face Ghana and Panama in Group L.
New Zealand will face Iran, Belgium and Egypt in Group G.
Volpato speaks out after AUS switch | 01:27
RED CARDS AS PUNCHES THROWN IN WILD CLASH
Portugal and Belgium both won in front of their home fans on Saturday ahead of their latest attempts at World Cup breakthroughs.
Portugal beat Chile, who are not going to the World Cup, 2-1 in Oeiras, near Lisbon.
Belgium cruised to a 5-0 victory over fellow World Cup qualifiers Tunisia in Brussels.
Although the games were notionally friendlies, there were red cards in both. Portugal started Cristiano Ronaldo.
The star had a strike ruled offside just before half-time before he went off amid a raft of half-time substitutions.
By then both teams were down to ten men after Rafael Leao and Ivan Roman were sent off following a mass scuffle just before the break.
Goncalo Guedes gave Portugal a 58th-minute lead.
Premier League player of the year, Bruno Fernandes, who played the full game added the second from long range.
Lucas Cepeda replied in added time.
Portugal have a home friendly against Nigeria in Leiria on June 10 before setting off to play DR Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia in Group K.
In Brussels Leandro Trossard, Charles De Ketelaere, Kevin De Bruyne, Dodi Lukebakio and Nicolas Raskin scored for Belgium.
The last three came after Tunisia’s Ismael Gharbi was sent off for a second yellow card.
At the World Cup, Belgium will face Egypt, Iran and New Zealand in Group G. Tunisia, managed by Sabri Lamouchi, are in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Japan and Sweden.
IRAN VISA SAGA TAKES FRESH TWIST
Iran’s World Cup squad left Turkey for Mexico on Saturday, taking off under the shadow of a bitter diplomatic row between Tehran and Washington after the US refused to issue visas for some of the team’s support staff.
The dispute erupted just days before Thursday’s kick-off of the 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The Iran team took off around 6:10pm (1510 GMT) for Tijuana in northwest Mexico, where they will be based for the duration of the tournament, on what was expected to be a 20-hour flight, Iranian state TV reported.
Iran are due to play their three group games on US soil, making this the first World Cup to see a host nation receive the team of a country it is at war with.
Iran switched their base to Tijuana from their original base in Tucson, Arizona, in late May.
The team spent nearly three weeks at a training camp in Antalya, using their time in Turkey to apply for visas to travel to Mexico, Canada and the United States.
On the eve of their departure for Mexico, the players received their US visas, Washington’s envoy to Turkey Tom Barrack said on X late Friday.
But Iran’s embassy to Turkey issued a furious response after saying support staff had been denied visas — 15 administrative and management staff are concerned, an Iranian diplomat and state TV said.
“You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran’s national football team to its highest level,” the embassy wrote on X on Saturday, calling for world football’s governing body FIFA “to hold the US accountable for violations of its rules.” Adding to the tensions, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico said Saturday the squad had been notified that under the conditions of their visas, the team must enter and leave US soil on the same day as their matches.
“We can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day,” Iran’s envoy Abolfazl Pasandideh told reporters.
That went against what the team’s spokesman Amir Mahdi Alavi told state TV earlier.
“The visas issued for the national team are multiple-entry visas, and the national team will arrive at the match venue one day before the first game and, for the following games, two days prior to each match,” Alavi said.
FIFA rules for World Cups stipulate that a team’s coach must give a press conference on the eve of the match at the venue where the game will be played.
AFP has approached FIFA for comment.
– ‘Abuse this system’ –
Iran’s Football Federation, whose chief Mehdi Taj was reportedly among those denied a visa, has described the decision as “political interference in sport in its worst form.” In response, a US administration official confirmed that “the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup, including for athletes and necessary support staff, have been issued.” Without directly addressing the matter of those whose visas were refused, the official added: “We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences.” In April, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any problem would not be with the Iranian players but “some of the other people (they) would want to bring with them,” suggesting ties to the Revolutionary Guards, a group on the US terror blacklist.
Taj himself is a former Guards member, Iranian media in the diaspora have reported.
The Middle East war began after the US and Israel began bombing Iran on February 28. An April 8 ceasefire, which largely halted the fighting, has come under strain from recent exchanges of fire by the US and Iran.
Iran, known as Team Melli, are in Group G and will play New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, followed by a game against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
Ahead of their departure, Iran defeated Mali 2-0 in a friendly in Antalya and also beat Gambia in an earlier warm-up.