U.S. Men's National Team head coach BOB BRADLEYOn the conclusion of a busy June and July and the opportunity to defend the CONCACAF Gold cup title:"It's been a busy summer. We're excited about defending our title here. We expect a good game and I know we're looking forward to it."
On the progress of the group of players which comprise the U.S. squad at the Gold Cup:"It's been a good group. You could tell when they came in they were very proud of what had taken place in South Africa. They were excited about their opportunity and you always need the first round to kind of grow a little as a group. That's helped us size up everybody, and from their it's been a stretch of tough games, but good games, for us."
On the rivalry between the USA and Mexico:"I think it'll always bring out the emotion. It'll be a hard game and I think both teams will go after each other in a way that they'll try to put the game on their terms. We'd expect, as always, a good game."
On whether he felt pressure to use more players on the 30 man roster:"There are always so many factors that go into rosters. We talked earlier in the tournament that
CONCACAF allowed us a bigger roster because of the difficult of going from the Confederations Cup into the Gold Cup. Nonetheless, when you add it all up we still feel this group has done well and they are ready to go."
On handling the emotion of a Cup final:
"In any final that's a huge factor.
Everybody's excited, the game starts and how do you handle the first part of the game? There are decisions, reactions and certainly as the game goes on, you need the concentration and the discipline to keep going."
On the keys to the game for the USA:"For us we need to start with a good amount of energy. That's been in important for us. We need to make sure that as the game goes on we're good with the ball and we still have the ability to put pressure on Mexico in the key parts of the field. Our reserves have done a good job in this tournament of helping us and coming on in key moments and those things help you win."
On playing on a natural grass field:"Whenever there's an installation it means in some cases the field will be a little bit slow compared to a field that has had a chance to settle in, but I know that all the players are excited about playing on grass."
U.S. Men's National Team forward BRIAN CHING
On the Gold Cup final against Mexico being followed by a trip to Azteca Stadium next month:"A game against Mexico is a game against Mexico. Both teams are going to be out to win this game and we'll approach this game the same way we will approach that one."
On what he, as a veteran, would tell his younger teammates about playing in a USA-Mexico game:"To play the way they're capable of playing. Don't do anything you're not accustomed to doing on the field and play like the way you've been playing in the past few games. We've seen some good performances from the young guys and that's encouraging. This is another game for them to prove themselves, and more importantly they need to go out there and relax and enjoy the moment."
On how he would describe the rivalry with Mexico:"Fun, intense and exciting. Along with it there's a little bit of a circus, but that's week in and week out for the NFL. It's what some of the European guys are used to, and we hope that one day the game aspires to be like this every week, and not just against our biggest rival."
On the USA's biggest strength when it faces Mexico:"The U.S. teams have always been grounded. This team is the same way. Nobody is out to make a name for themselves; they just want to win as a team. That's always been our strength, and hopefully going forward it will always be our strength."
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