Steve Sampson
On the importance of Sunday’s match against Iran: “I think this is the most important match since the 1990 World Cup.”
On the impact of politics on the Iran game: “It doesn’t make it any more important for the players on our side. Our entire emphasis is to show that we are a soccer playing country in the United States.”
On his plan and expectations for the Iran match: “We can’t afford to start slowly or play conservatively. I expect it to be a wide-open, competitive, physical match. We must have a strong attack to gain three points.”
On the inconsistency of red cards in the World Cup: “There seems to be a different interpretation in the last few matches than the first few. It makes it very difficult for us to know what to expect when our game gets underway.”
Frankie Hejduk
On the attention of the match with Iran: “They are people just like we are. We will shake hands and exchange jerseys just like we did with Germany.”
On Iran’s play: “They are a great team and a hard working team. We have to match their intensity Sunday from the very start.”
On his [goal scoring] celebration dance: “I came close to doing it against Germany. I’ve been waiting my whole life for the opportunity to show the world my dance, hopefully it will happen Sunday.”
Thomas Dooley
On the pressure on the U.S. team: “We have to win our next two games against Iran and Yugoslavia. That creates a lot of pressure, but I think we can do it.”
