Harry Kewell enters US-Australia row and says he had never heard of Mike Grella | OneFootball

Harry Kewell has entered the United States versus Australia flare-up and said he had never heard of ex-Leeds United forward Mike Grella. According to yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk, the former Socceroo also rubbished talk of American superiority.

Grella, who made 42 Leeds appearances between 2009 and 2011 before spells in England, Denmark and MLS, sparked the dispute by calling the Socceroos a “layup” for the US at the 2026 World Cup. The group game is due on Friday night in Seattle.

Fellow ex-Leeds man Tyler Adams tried to cool it, saying, “No, it’s not a layup, if anything, it’s going to be one of the most difficult games that we play.” Grella then doubled down, adding that Australia’s fan base had gone too far and, “They’ve never won anything.”

Kewell, capped 58 times by Australia and a 240-appearance Leeds alumnus, replied that he had not previously heard of Grella, saying, “Nope, nope, no idea.” He argued the USA’s so-called golden generation would not match Australia’s, questioning the hype around American “soccer”.

He added that while MLS exists, the highest level is in Europe, and maintained that back in that era Australia would have come out on top. Kewell remains unpopular with many Leeds supporters for later joining Galatasaray, having been a Whites player when Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight were murdered in Istanbul before a UEFA Cup tie against the club.

Current Leeds man Brenden Aaronson will hope for his first minutes of World Cup 2026 on Friday after sitting out the opener against Paraguay. He has spoken of wanting to face Argentina and his favourite player Lionel Messi on the way to the final.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk