US Not in Friendly Mood by Greg Seltzer - September 6, 2007 |
|
| ▪ Arnaud Eager to Debut | |
Although their Sunday clash with Brazil at Chicago's Soldier Field is listed as a friendly, one would have a tough time convincing the US National Team that the game will be a walk in the park. |
▪ U17WC: Germans End US Dreams |
| ▪ Growing US Depth Pleases 'Dolo | |
| "For me, there's no such thing as a friendly," Oguchi Onyewu told American Soccer Daily. "Every match, you're gonna get fouled, you're gonna get tackled, it's gonna get a little rough and dirty - there's nothing friendly about that." Star man Landon Donovan backed up the burly defender's assertion, noting that the squad members will be looking to display to coach Bob Bradley that they are ready for World Cup qualification - which will begin for the Americans with a second round assignment next June. "It doesn't matter who it is, we're here to win," said the Galaxy man. "These are never friendlies." "We don't get a lot of opportunities to get together as a team, a full team that Bob can pick pretty much who he wants. We're not too far off from qualifying now." "There's not a ton of time before that starts, so if guys want to be a part of that, they have to show up in these games," declared Donovan. Added Onyewu: "The fact that it doesn't count towards qualification, I don't think that lessens the importance of the game." |
|