From the Inside Out - with Jonathan Spector

Today's match against Brazil doesn't feel different that any other game in terms of our approach. We go out trying to win every time we step on the field. Clearly it's an important game for us. Realistically, we need a win to stay alive.

The Italy game is behind us. We were frustrated not to get a result, especially since we felt like we were playing very well prior to the red card. After that, we still went up 1-0 and created some good chances. We knew it was going to be long fight with a man down for that long, and unfortunately we ran out of steam defending against that much sustained pressure. Even so, we still had a couple opportunities at the end. We feel confident that we can compete with the best teams in the world.

That moment is over, and there has only been a short time to recover to prepare for a difficult game against Brazil. In some ways it's good that there is no time to dwell; we now have the chance to put right the disappointment.

On game days, I don't really start preparing until we are on the way to the stadium. You don't want to wear yourself out mentally too much. When we get on the bus, I start to focus and envision what it's going to take for us to be successful.

For me personally, these games present great challenges to test myself against some unbelievable players. Against Italy it was Grosso, and tonight it could be the likes of Kaka, Robinho and Kleber. While they are very talented, we don't give than anymore respect than anyone else. As a player, you want to have a chance to stand up to the best. And for the team, it gives you a great picture of what the toughest matches in the world will be like. It's another great experience as we move forward.