The Costa Rica team will play very strong, very fast in the beginning of the game, try to get an early goal and write their ticket to Germany.

Canada is traditionally a very solid team, and this game will be a good test for our domestic players as we begin the critical process of building a roster for the 2006 World Cup. We...

It’s easy to look at [qualifying] and think that it’s a breeze . . . but it’s not a breeze. Our experiences over the last four years have positioned us to be successful. Our guys...

The German team needs a win because the public demands it.

A dominant team in sports is exciting, and it gives everybody something to shoot for. This year maybe there’s a chance somebody could do that [in MLS].

It was a good win and good experience for a lot of players. I’ve been told that we finished first in the group, which is nice, but wasn’t critical. But that is always nice to...

Brian didn’t necessarily win us over in the last six weeks. It’s a culmination of knowing what he brings to us on the field.

I thought it was a well played game for both teams. Both teams had chances in the second half. I thought our team had a much improved effort in the last 45 minutes.

Why? Because it’s January and you can’t worry about it. I don’t think we had a bad performance, but I didn’t think anybody stepped up and had a big performance.

We basically choreographed this game. The team that’s the fitter team is our team. Over 90 minutes it was going to be obvious. After 35 minutes you could see they were basically done.

That’s Brian. It’s uncommon, but that’s why Brian’s worn the captain’s armband as well.

This match is a great chance for our players to show that they should be nominated for the World Cup.

We’ve seen great improvement out of Clint this year. He’s a player who is competing for a spot on the World Cup roster and I think he demonstrated he’s progressed a lot.

They are a pretty athletic team and their forwards have scored some big goals for them. We told the team before the El Salvador game, in all honesty that the better team in the Panama-El...

We beat a great team in Portugal, I am very proud of our outstanding performance.

The fact that he is the only three-time winner of the award is a testament to the consistency, commitment and dedication he has displayed throughout his career.

He’s a talented kid who is very inexperienced and young so you can’t expect too much at this point in time. He’s 16 years old any way you look at it. You talk about patience,...

With only one international fixture date prior to the World Cup, this is an important opportunity for our players based in Europe to demonstrate their form and fitness.

When you play on a regular basis in top European competition, you improve at a greater rate than you do in our domestic league — there’s no secret about it. The games are more meaningful,...

When you cut to the chase, that’s what defenders are supposed to be about and that’s his strength. Any time you have a solid presence in the heart of your defense that gives confidence to...

We were able to use this game as an opportunity to see some players. The part that I felt was valid was that we watched our players have to deal with coming from behind, being...

The number that’s going to work for me is the one that tells us we can’t finish worse than third.

They’re in a position we were in, you want to get it done sooner than later. This is a game where their sights are clearly to win, as it was for Guatemala the last time...

We have probably an additional three, four, five players that we that could have chosen. And at the end of the day, that’s my responsibility, and those are difficult decisions to make because you’re leaving...

I like the fact that we’re not playing at altitude (as in Mexico City), and Columbus is as good a venue as we can select. We have no excuses. We need to step on the...

With the World Cup taking place in Europe, scheduling matches has been extremely difficult this time around. However, I think the opposition we will be facing will give us the right type of competition we...

He’s shown steady improvement throughout the camp.

There is nowhere we don’t need to improve. It is just like [before the 2002 World Cup]. We clearly need to make the team better and we will, move the domestic players along, and we...

The naming of this 23-man roster is the end of a long and arduous process. Today, a new journey begins as we start final preparations for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. As usual, we will...

This is obviously a great win for the United States and we’re pleased to have qualified for Germany. In the second half, getting those two early goals made the difference in the game.

We got beat and we deserved to get beat. This was the USA playing tonight ? it doesn’t matter who we were missing.

I sat in the stands in Italy and shook my head. And not to disrespect the performance of our players, but it was so obvious to me at that point in time that we had...

Give Jamaica credit. I thought they did well. For the night I thought they gave great effort.

We are a little more experienced, we have a little more depth, and possibly a better team than in 2002. The challenge will be very difficult again. The World Cup will only tell us what...

He’s had two very good games. He’s certainly putting himself in a good position. It’s going to be competitive right down the stretch for everybody. But Taylor certainly hasn’t hurt his cause.

I give the U.S. credit for passing character test. At the end of the day, it is not certainly a perfect performance, but we are on the road and we take two points away from...

Obviously, this was a great win for the U.S. team. We’re really pleased to qualify for Germany.

These are just opportunities to evaluate players as we move forward, but you don’t make decisions based on one game. Generally, as a rule of thumb, if you get a point on the road in...

I think the conditions were difficult for both teams. Obviously the host team is more comfortable on the surface.

We haven’t ruled anybody out. We don’t have a closed mind in terms of the roster at this point. We’re going to have to wait and see.

I wasn’t certain how he was going to do, but I can see differences in Steve between now and 2001 when he first came to us. He is a much more experienced player and he...

His stock has risen considerably, and given the circumstances in our entire pool, Kerry is going to be in there right until the end when we’re looking to finalize our roster.

He makes the plays that result in goals to beat you by passing, by combination play with teammates, or he can do it individually. He puts people on their heels, and because of his special...

What this group has managed to do is not let anything get in the way of their goals in qualifying and winning games. We miss a player due to an injury or a suspension, they...

I’m optimistic that we can qualify out of the group, regardless of what anyone else thinks. I think we’re capable of playing with any team in the world.

Josh knows that’s an area he’s got to get better in. He was very active in the first half and part of a lot of good plays. However, he was also part of a lot...

Obviously we look forward to the game on Saturday for a couple of reasons. Mexico is certainly and arguably our biggest rival in CONCACAF and that always makes for a good game. More importantly, any...

We look forward to the support of the American fans and some fantastic atmospheres in these venues as we undertake the challenge of getting our team ready to compete in the World Cup.

If I’d grade us, I’d say a C. We can’t worry about it. We have to remember that it’s January and a lot of players have been away from the game for a while.

We had great success in 2002 staging our operations in one location (Seoul) and traveling into our venues for games and we feel that strategy will work for us again in 2006.