Schwarzer confident 'written off' Socceroos can stun American doubters

Socceroos great Mark Schwarzer believes criticism of Australia will be "ammunition" for the FIFA World Cup. (Getty Images: Morgan Hancock)

Mark Schwarzer, Australia's most capped international footballer, is confident the Socceroos can prove doubters wrong at the FIFA World Cup.

The former goalkeeper was involved in a highly publicised debate on television, after US pundit Mike Grella described Australia as a "lay-up" for the Americans in Group D.

Mark Schwarzer will be part of ABC Sport's rolling World Cup coverage, previewing and reviewing all Socceroos games and with the team all the way through to the final.

Maligned, underestimated and overlooked — and that is just the way we like it, according to the Socceroos' most capped player.

Former Socceroo Mark Schwarzer made headlines last month when he came face-to-face with former professional player, turned US football pundit, Mike Grella, after the American had described the Socceroos as a "lay-up" for the US Men's National Team during the FIFA World Cup.

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Schwarzer then said the Australians preferred to let their actions on the field speak, and that is a view he still believes in.

In the well-publicised debate between Schwarzer and Grella, which was pitch-side at Wembley Stadium in London for US broadcaster CBS, the American even doubled down on his belittling of the Socceroos, stating: "If the USA can't beat Australia in a football match, stay home."

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"I just thought, 'Typical. Doesn't surprise me,'" the veteran of 109 internationals said.

"I've heard a lot of the talk leading up to it, in and around it. These days in media, there are people out there just trying to get clicks.

"We believe in our ability. We're quietly confident about the way we can play football and what we can do. I don't see it any differently. So it was a pretty easy one for me to confront and It's just typical of a lot of people."

The Socceroos have been drawn in Group D for the tournament, which starts this weekend.

Australia's campaign begins on Sunday at 2pm, AEST, against Türkiye, followed by the United States (June 20, 5pm AEST) and finally Paraguay (June 26, 12pm AEST).

The top two teams from each of the 12 groups, plus the eight best-ranked third-place finishers, will advance to the knock-out phase of the 48-nation tournament.

Group D shapes up to be a competitive