SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - USA look ahead to Ghana game in second round

Record ID: 454854

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - USA look ahead to Ghana game in second round
  • Date: 25th June 2010
  • Summary: IRENE, NEAR PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 24, 2010) (REUTERS) NEWS CONFERENCE WITH US COACH BOB BRADLEY JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) US COACH BOB BRADLEY TALKING ABOUT GHANA SAYING: "A talented team, and athletic team, mobile. We all know the types of players Ghana has produced, the youth teams they have had and the fact that they have been able to do a very good job of turning very good teams at the U17 and U21 level into very good teams at the national level. We know some of their guys pretty well, we have watched them a lot, and we expect a very good game." NEWS CONFERENCE WITH BRADLEY (SOUNDBITE) (English) US SOCCER COACH BOB BRADLEY SAYING: "The way we discussed it was that first you have to get out of your group. That's three games. I think we have seen in this World Cup in so many of the groups that results don't always go as expected. I think all teams go to great lengths to prepare physically, tactically, so it produces tough moments for everybody. So I think we understood that going in, I think we feel good about how we handled the first round, the different challenges and the way we responded on the way. But now, when you get to the knockout phase, again, the opportunity to see how far you can take it. And you can feel good about getting there, but now you have to quickly put that behind you and focus on your next opponent, and that is where we are right now." CAMERAMAN LEAVES LANDON DONOVAN SPEAKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) US STRIKER LANDON DONOVAN SAYING: "I think they have looked very good and they are going to be a very difficult team to play against. Their athleticism will be difficult to deal with, my guess is that they will have a lot of support. Like a lot of African teams, they can be a bit unpredictable, which can be a plus or a minus. So we will spend the next few days looking at a lot of tape and individual players and looking at their strengths and weaknesses." CAMERAMAN DONOVAN GETS UP AND LEAVES
  • Embargoed: 10th July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA705VQZN058NSUJSCNYIU32407
  • Story Text: The United States believe they have a golden opportunity to go far in the World Cup and forget the sense of finality and pain from 2006 when they lost at the hands of their next opponents, Ghana.
    The U.S., who went out four years ago after losing to Black Stars in the last game of their group stage, will face the African nation once again on Saturday (June 26), after topping their group on Wednesday night (June 23) with a dramatic goal against Algeria in added time.
    Coach Bob Bradley agreed that the challenge with the Africans was more about their youth and energy than their advantage as 'host continent'.
    "A talented team, and athletic team, mobile. We all know the types of players Ghana has produced, the youth teams they have had and the fact that they have been able to do a very good job of turning very good teams at the U17 and U21 level into very good teams at the national level. We know some of their guys pretty well, we have watched them a lot, and we expect a very good game," he said.
    He said his team now had the opportunity to test themselves against stronger opposition and said they would take great heart from the way they handled their first round.
    "I think we feel good about how we handled the first round, the different challenges and the way we responded on the way. But now, when you get to the knockout phase, again, the opportunity to see how far you can take it. And you can feel good about getting there, but now you have to quickly put that behind you and focus on your next opponent, and that is where we are right now," he added.
    Goalscorer Landon Donovan told reporters that they have a chance to do something very special, but that Ghana were a force to be reckoned with.
    "I think they have looked very good and they are going to be a very difficult team to play against. Their athleticism will be difficult to deal with, my guess is that they will have a lot of support. Like a lot of African teams, they can be a bit unpredictable, which can be a plus or a minus. So we will spend the next few days looking at a lot of tape and individual players and looking at their strengths and weaknesses," he said.
    Donovan, who scored the late winner on Wednesday night, said the players would in many ways feel less pressure in their next game after achieving their first goal of getting out of the group stage.
    The United States have taken large strides in international soccer over the past decade, unluckily losing out to Germany at the quarter finals of the 2002 World Cup, and beating Spain on their way to the Confederations Cup final in 2009.
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