EXCLUSIVE: 'Lay-up' line tipped to blow up in USA's face against Socceroos at 'suffocating' home World Cup
Former Socceroos captain Craig Foster has questioned whether the United States will handle the "suffocating" pressure of a home World Cup and is backing Australia to advance from a wide open Group D.
The USA (world No.14) are the top ranked nation in the group that also includes Australia (No.26) and Paraguay (No.39).
The fourth team will be the winner of a European qualifying bracket that includes Turkey, Slovakia, Romania and Kosovo.
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Referee Kwinsi Williams separates Cameron Burgess of Australia and Chris Richards of the United States. Getty
The USA beat the Socceroos 2-1 in a spicy Denver clash in October and the tournament co-hosts were happy to be handed what on paper looks like a friendly draw.
Former USA player Mike Grella called the Australia game a "lay-up."
"Take nothing away from the Socceroos, they've always been competitive," Grella said on CBS.
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"But they stumbled a little during qualifying and weren't that impressive. This is an amazing first team to have for the US."
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic will no doubt use perceived American arrogance as fuel for his team before the clash at Seattle's Lumen Field on June 20 (AEDT).
"You've heard the response from the US. They think it's a fantastic result for them," Foster said on Stan Sport's Added Time.
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"It's good that we played them only two months ago. Of course we lost to them, but we know them very well."
Australia will open their campaign against the European qualifier in Vancouver on June 14 (AEDT) before the USA clash.
"I do think it's good to play the home team not in the first game. Because if they don't go well in the first, and the pressure in the second can be suffocating," Foster said.
Adam Peacock and Craig Foster on Stan Sport. Stan
The USA hosted the 1994 World Cup and finished third in their group to sneak through to the round of 16, where they lost to eventual winners Brazil 1-0.
The USA men have never won the World Cup and have not advanced beyond the quarter-finals in over 90 years.
They are going all out for next year's tournament and their coach, Mauricio Pochettino, is one of the highest paid managers in world football with a reported annual salary of $9 million.
Mauricio Pochettino shakes hands with Tony Popovic. Getty
"What we've seen from Pochettino, I'm not that confident in his team," Foster said.
"Because they've been very much up and down. I think he's got a really talented group, it's a young group, and we saw they could play good football against us.
"But I tell you what, that's a team that - with the expectation of America in sport generally - they think that they're going to be world champions.
A Socceroos fan at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Getty
"And all of a sudden, if these guys don't go well - and they could well stumble, I don't think they're the finished article - then all of a sudden it's going to be a difficult tournament for them at home. Of all of the three teams, I think they're the one that's going to feel the pressure the most.
"So I don't think that's bad for Australia. So it's a group where I think we've got a fantastic chance to get out...
"For the first time, we don't have a really strong potential world champion in the group. And of course we had France in '18 and '22, we had Brazil in '06, we had Spain and Netherlands in 2014. Germany smashed us in 2010. So that's very different. It's very even. I think all four teams actually look at that group and go, we could get out of it, which is good."
