A German referee once banned for match-fixing has been appointed to make his FIFA World Cup debut in the Socceroos' clash with the United States. Felix Zwayer, 45, will officiate the Group D fixture in Seattle on Friday (Saturday AEST), and he may face a tough task controlling two physical sides.
High Stakes After Opening Wins
Both nations enter the match on a high after victories in their opening fixtures. The winner will be in the box seat to progress to the knockout rounds at the top of the group. Tensions have simmered as American pundits have written off Australia, but players on both sides have played down the talk.
Physical History Between the Teams
Things could change once the match gets underway, though. The USA claimed a feisty 2-1 win over a physical Socceroos outfit last October, which saw Trinidad and Tobago referee Kwinsi Williams attempt to break up the players. American defender Chris Richards recalled the encounter, saying, "They're lucky it was a friendly. I was ready to go." He criticised the referee for "losing his handle of the game," adding, "If (the ref) didn't give me a s*** yellow in the corner, I probably would've killed somebody."
US coach Mauricio Pochettino baked his side at half-time during that match. Star striker Haji Wright reflected on the game this week, admitting the Americans and Australians are more alike than people are willing to admit. "I remember going to half-time, the coach wasn't too happy with us letting them punch us in a way without punching back," Wright said. "I don't think they take it too far. I think they're aggressive and they're competitive. They're a lot like us actually — they're not going to back down to anybody and we'll respect that in the game coming, but I don't think we'll back down to them."
The friendly also left a lasting impression on Tim Weah: "That experience was fun. It was aggressive. I think from that game, we've changed a lot. We've gotten a bit more aggressive as well."
Referee with Controversial Past
Now the stage is set, and a World Cup debutant will be responsible for keeping players in check. Zwayer will be assisted by countrymen Robert Kempter and Christian Dietz, with Mexican pair Katia Garcia (fourth official) and Sandra Ramirez (reserve assistant) rounding out the crew. Zwayer has reached the pinnacle despite a controversial history stemming from a 2005 incident. He served a six-month ban after accepting a €300 ($A500) bribe from another official to favour German club Wuppertaler during a May 2004 match.
Zwayer bounced back to become a German Bundesliga referee, but his past remained a talking point. England star Jude Bellingham referenced it unfavourably during his time with Borussia Dortmund, saying after a defeat to Bayern Munich, "You can look at a lot of the decisions in the game. You give a referee, that has match-fixed before, the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?"
Zwayer has since been backed by UEFA to officiate a Euro 2024 semi-final between the Netherlands and England and the 2025 Europa League final won by Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham against Manchester United. Today, he is the only German match referee called up by FIFA for the World Cup.
Pre-Match Comments from US Camp
US midfielder Sebastian Berhalter lifted the lid further on Weah's view that they've only become more aggressive since their last meeting with the Socceroos. "We're American. We don't take s***," Berhalter said on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST). "I think that's something that (Pochettino) really put in. Even though he's Argentinian, he has that mindset of, like 'look, this is what we do, and this is who we are and this is what America is about.' He really drilled that into us and I think that's something that has helped us this last cycle." Berhalter praised the Socceroos for being up for the fight. "We like teams that have that brotherhood, you know? We like teams that you can see they're hungry, they want to fight," he said.
Weah dismissed the punditry talk as "nonsense." "When you look at the Australian team, they are a young team that have a lot of fight, a lot of grit and a lot of hunger, just like us," he said. "So we respect them in the same way that we would respect any other opponent. I don't know what the media is trying to do, but we're not really focused on that."
Injury Concerns for USA
For a second consecutive day, US captain Christian Pulisic trained away from his teammates. He has been described as a day-to-day proposition as he deals with a left calf injury. Pulisic was withdrawn from the co-host's opening 4-1 win over Paraguay at half-time. Weah said, "To me, he's looked as he always has. He looks normal, he looks fit. He took a little bit of a knock, so he's been with the trainers on the side, but I think he'll be ready for the game. I'm just praying to God that he'll be 100 per cent fit because he'll be needed."
