USA
Match Quotes From USA Win Over Poland
U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM MANAGER BRUCE ARENA
"I was pleased with the win for our team. It was not an easy game for either team. The field conditions were very difficult. I thought our team was a little unsteady in the first 30 minutes but in the last 15 minutes of the first half we settled in. It was one of those games where someone had to take an opportunity and we were the team today. We did well to hold on to the lead. A number of our young players really gained from this game tonight. It was an important experience for our young guys and hopefully we can continue to build as we move forward towards the World Cup."
On having the opportunity to play in Germany prior to the World Cup: "I just think playing in Germany, where the World Cup is, that's important for our players to get comfortable in this environment and certainly getting familiar with the stadium. We had a team of a lot of young players and I think all these experiences are positive and help them grow as players, and hopefully put us in a better position come June."
On the play of Clint Dempsey: "He's a player with very little international experience. Last year was pretty rough on him at the international level, but he learned from those experiences and he worked hard in the off-season to prepare himself. He's had a pretty good run, and he's grown up. Like a lot of young talented players, as they continue to get experiences in games of this nature, they grow up. He's had a steady climb. Hopefully he's going to be a player we can count on."
On beating a team that has qualified for the World Cup: "I think it's good for any team that won today. Psychologically, it's always important. We've had a good start to the year. However, we realize that come June 12, 17 and 22, the games are going to look a lot different than the games we've played so far in 2006. We're making progress, and hopefully we continue to get better. "
On the challenge of evaluating the European-based players with only one game before selecting the roster: "We're very familiar with our pool of players. All of the European-based players I saw tonight, I'm very comfortable in knowing where they are as players, and how to make an assessment of those players. We've been at this for a while. We've had a long qualifying campaign, and we've been together for a long time. I'm comfortable with our entire pool right now, and pretty familiar with the decisions I need to make."
On Fritz-Walter-Stadion: "There are a lot more of these stadiums in Germany. It's an outstanding facility. I know there were a lot of renovations for the World Cup. We know come the middle of May they are going to be replacing all the fields in the World Cup stadiums. The stadiums are going to have outstanding fields, and the stadiums themselves are outstanding. Germany is going to put on a terrific show for the World Cup."
On what he learned from tonight's game: "What we're finding out is that we have a lot of depth. There's going to be some tough decisions we have to make. We have a number of players that are competing for a number of positions. It's not going to be easy for me to select a roster of 23 players."
On whether the snow was an advantage for the U.S. team because it was at their backs: "I'm not sure the snow was an advantage for anybody. We've been in California for seven weeks with our domestic players. I don't think the snow was that much of an advantage."
On the support of the American fans in Kaiserslautern: "It was great. We don't get this kind of support in some games in the United States, so we're really grateful for the Americans who came out in Kaiserslautern to support our team."
On the progress of Eddie Johnson: "Eddie Johnson still has a way to go. This is the most he has played in almost a year. I think we need to be patient with Eddie as he continues to move forward."
On whether Eddie Lewis will be the left back in the World Cup: "Eddie is obviously building a strong case to be our left back. We've been able to play him there for three games and I think he's done well."