SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
Seattle: Australian fans riding high on the Socceroos’ victory in Vancouver were brought crashing back down to earth after a 2-0 capitulation to the United States in Seattle where, for the most part, the boys in green and gold didn’t look like scoring.
“Everyone’s still having fun despite the scoreboard,” former NSW premier turned BHP big wig Dominic Perrottet enthused at half-time, while there was still some optimism for a comeback following a dismal start. But a goal never materialised.
After the excitement of game one, Seattle was a letdown, in more ways than one. Expectations – fanned in part by Football Australia – were that President Donald Trump might attend, and surely lure in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a bit of sports diplomacy.
In the end neither showed up. Trump instead unveiled his new toy: a $400 million Boeing 747 gifted to him by Qatar that has been repainted and transformed into Air Force One.
Albanese, meanwhile, stayed home to tidy up his budget backflips and deal with fuel security in the aftermath of Trump’s war in Iran.
The federal government’s delegation was pretty paltry in Seattle, with Bennelong backbencher Jerome Laxale the most senior MP in attendance. The Liberals fielded health spokeswoman Anne Ruston and former sports minister Richard Colbeck, along with two MPs.
They rubbed shoulders in the VVIP box with US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who stayed for the whole game and were naturally, in good spirits.
“Always proud to be an American, but especially proud today at the World Cup to see the USA win their second straight game,” Wright said. “Feeling the energy of Team USA, feeling the energy of FIFA.”
Also in the room: Andrew Giuliani, son of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, and the director of the White House’s FIFA taskforce.
A slew of American celebrities attended, including socialite Paris Hilton, whom this masthead saw coming out a bathroom near the VIP suites before the starting whistle. One of her aides told her to hurry up because “they won’t move kick-off for you”.
Asked for her prediction on the score, Hilton replied: “USA.”
The cameras also loved staying close to singer-songwriter Ciara and her husband, former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, American soccer player Trinity Rodman, who is on the women’s national team, and six foot 10 NBA basketballer Paolo Banchero, whom this masthead spotted wandering the corridors.
Australia’s new ambassador to the US Greg Moriarty was in the house with embassy communications director Ian Gerard, as was golfing legend Greg Norman who described the US-Australia contest as a “big brother, little brother” scenario.
Big brother certainly dominated. The raucous, mostly American crowd felt every bit of its 66,925 fans, whose “USA” chants rang around the stadium at regular intervals.
Spotted among the Australian contingent were celebrity chef Curtis Stone, former Football Australia boss and now Venues NSW chairman David Gallop and Tasmanian Labor MP Dean Winter, who was sitting next to this masthead’s own chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal. Also found in the throng: AFL media guru Craig Hutchison hanging out with former bad boy player Campbell Brown.
The Australians may have left deflated, but in the corporate hospitality area post-game, American fans were jubilant as they accessed the open bar and danced to Mariah Carey and Bruno Mars hits.
Team USA supporter Annika Spring from California was drinking Taittinger champagne with her son Ben. “I think we worked harder and had a bit more skill, but you’ve got a good team,” she said. “You did well towards the end … we came out ready to win.”
Socceroos fan David Hogan, visiting from Sydney, said his friends were just happy the Australians didn’t lose by more. “People seemed to accept the US played better,” he said. “It was always going to be hard against them as the home team.”
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.
