Bruce Arena Quotes on World (20 Quotes)

The match in Cary is our last game before we make our final decisions on the World Cup roster, so it is obviously an important one for us.

That makes the European countries big players. Unfortunately we have to play two of them, the Czech Republic and Italy, which is one of the favorites to win the World Cup. In my opinion Brazil is the team to beat.

With only one international fixture date next year, this is an excellent opportunity to get our group together as we continue to shape our team for the World Cup.

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.

Clint continues to build a solid argument to make the World Cup team. He's certainly making it difficult for me to make some tough decisions.

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 need as we move forward with our preparations for Germany.

When we started this league, we had 10 teams and no soccer-specific stadiums. Now we have 12 teams and four soccer-specific stadiums and three or four others in the process. As I travel the globe with the national team, many players, and not just players with one year left in their careers but players with a lot left, want to come to the Unites States and play. Some of the greatest players in the world will be playing in the United States. I really believe that.

The Gold Cup is the biggest headache on the schedule. We want to be respectful of the confederation championship and put our best team out there and try to win it. However, our focus has to be on World Cup qualifying. Those 10 games are the most important.

Obviously, this is a relief. The whole purpose at the beginning of qualifying is to quickly make the World Cup, and we did it before anyone else.

For the first time ever, we are going to demand players have the discipline and commitment to actually maintain fitness. We have seen a wide range of attitudes and actual physical conditions with MLS players in the past, and if that is the case next time around they're not going to be eligible to make the World Cup roster.

Our challenge is a pretty great one. This time around, I like our team on paper better than 2002, but you don't win games on paper. On the field is how the teams will be judged. ... With a good training camp, good preparation games and the right mental approach, this will be a team that will challenge anybody in the World Cup.

I think there's some disappointment in some players because it was an opportunity for them to try to convince me that they belong on our roster for the World Cup. Most did not have a strong argument some did.

Over the past week he's finally physically and psychologically recovered from his turf toe injury. That has been an obstacle for Eddie for a good six months or so, and that's completely past him. ... I think over the next couple of months Eddie should be back in full form and be a player who's challenging certainly for a spot on the World Cup roster.

The goal now is to make our team better for the World Cup.

Although we will be playing with a less than full roster, this game will provide an outstanding opportunity for some of our players to show they deserve strong consideration for the World Cup roster.

I thought he's had a tough go at it. But I think you see today he's a player with a really great upside. We're going to move him around as best we can and put him in a position to make the World Cup roster.

We eagerly look forward to seeing our domestic players. We want to do the best job we can of making the roster as competitive as possible over the next six months so we can position our team to be successful in the World Cup. We view this camp and the games in January and February as critical towards our preparation for Germany.

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 players out that are very close to being part of a World Cup team. I feel for those players.

It's only fitting that our last game in 2005 is being held in a place that has such a great tradition of supporting U.S. Soccer. We are certainly hopeful that this match will be a celebration of our efforts to qualify for the World Cup, and we're pleased to close out the process in front of fans who have supported us so well over the years.

I think you can't overreact from one game, the Norway game, and ignore the Canada game. You judge players over time, not over a game. As he continues to move forward we'll have a better feel for the direction he's headed. Obviously, he's getting better. From my perspective, I need to see if he's developing into a guy who should be a player on the World Cup roster and can help us win a game.