SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: USA and Australia speak to the media after their World Cup warm up match

Record ID: 454841

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: USA and Australia speak to the media after their World Cup warm up match
  • Date: 6th June 2010
  • Summary: ROODEPORT, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 5, 2010) (REUTERS) USA COACH BOB BRADLEY IN NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) USA COACH BOB BRADLEY SAYING: "You know these matches are always tricky with a week to go, but you know, the spirit of the match, the competitiveness of the match, I think for both Australia and ourselves it was exactly what we needed." JOURNALIST LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) USA COACH BOB BRADLEY SAYING: "No decisions have been made yet on starting, but he (Edson Buddle) continues to get more comfortable within the group and today you really saw the things that have highlighted his MLS season so far. He's taken his chances well, good finishing, scored a goal, you know a direct hard shot and scored a goal with his head, so good things." CAMERAMAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN COACH PIM VERBEEK, SAYING: "As long as they do it next week, I have no problems. I hope Germany starts to under-estimate us a little bit, Oh yeah they know, they did already I hope and that can only be good." VERBEEK STANDS UP AND WALKS OUT CAMERA OPERATORS FILMING LUCAS NEILL (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN CAPTAIN LUCAS NEILL SAYING: "We were continually on the back foot and then tried to get back into the game, and then we did and we conceded another sloppy goal. And then obviously again we were on the back foot, so we move on. We lost to a team that deserved to beat us today, we just move into the next game still full of confidence because we know we've done everything right in preparation." (SOUNDBITE) (English) USA PLAYER STEVE CHERUNDOLO SAYING: "Injuries do hurt, but I don't think one injury should hurt the squad too much, so we're still expecting a very good England side and we have to be very good and I think we will be." (SOUNDBITE) (English) USA PLAYER LANDON DONOVAN SAYING: "As I've been saying all year, the goals are great, so what he (Edson Buddle) and Robbie (Findley) did, otherwise are what helps you win games, you need to score goals to win, we understand that. Had we not scored today they still both did a great job in helping our team." CAMERAMAN
  • Embargoed: 21st June 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA470YB9U685XGRP4EIKOJONFPQ
  • Story Text: The United States beat Australia 3-1 on Saturday (June 5) in both teams' final warm-up match before the World Cup begins on June 11.
    Two first half goals from striker Edson Buddle helped his team to a confidence boosting victory in Roodeport, a western suburb of Johannesburg, ahead of their opening fixture against England.
    "You know these matches are always tricky with a week to go, but you know, the spirit of the match, the competitiveness of the match. I think for both Australia and ourselves, it was exactly what we needed," said USA coach Bob Bradley.
    "No decisions have been made yet on starting, but he (Edson Buddle) continues to get more comfortable within the group and today you really saw the things that have highlighted his MLS season so far. He's taken his chances well, good finishing, scored a goal, you know a direct hard shot and scored a goal with his head, so good things," Bradley added.
    Australia's Dutch coach Pim Verbeek said he considered the match a training exercise and hopes the result will encourage complacency among the team's opponents.
    "As long as they do it next week, I have no problems," he said.
    "I hope Germany starts to under-estimate us a little bit, Oh yeah they know, they did already I hope and that can only be good."
    Aussie captain Lucas Neill said the game was difficult for his side.
    "We were continually on the back foot and then tried to get back into the game, and then we did and we conceded another sloppy goal," he told reporters.
    "We lost to a team that deserved to beat us today. We just move into the next game still full of confidence because we know we've done everything right in preparation."
    The Americans are now looking ahead to the England tie, boosted by news Rio Ferdinand will miss the tournament to injury.
    "Injuries do hurt, but I don't think one injury should hurt the squad too much, so we're still expecting a very good England side and we have to be very good and I think we will be," USA's Steve Cherundolo said.
    Striker Landon Donovan heaped praise on the American front pairing of Buddle and Robbie Findley, whose pace and movement caused numerous problems for the Australian defence.
    "As I've been saying all year, the goals are great, so what he (Edson Buddle) and Robbie (Findley) did, otherwise are what helps you win games, you need to score goals to win, we understand that. Had we not scored today they still both did a great job in helping our team," he said.
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