Two days before the U.S. opener against Portugal (June 5), U.S. captain Claudio Reyna fielded questions on his injury problem, his Portuguese heritage — and more.
Claudio Reyna, U.S. midfielder
On his injury status [strained right quadriceps]: ''As it is now, today I did a little bit more than yesterday. It is still improving and it is day-to-day. The decision will probably be made sometime tomorrow. But we are not sure yet and tomorrow after training we will make the decision with [Coach] Bruce [Arena].'' On the early World Cup games and his thoughts: ''I think they have been very entertaining and a lot of good games. Except for the Germany-Saudi Arabia game, they have all been very close battles and competitive games. I think there have been a few surprises, and some very good players and some very good goals. Hopefully for us, we can match some of the performances and be one of the surprise teams and show we can play with anyone as well.'' On whether he has a rooting interest for Argentina against England (with his heritage being Argentinine and his current professional home being in England): ''Of course, my family being from Argentina, we want them to win that game. But I am really more concerned about us, to be honest. ''When Argentina plays them [England], I will root for them [Argentina], but my main concern is really about what is going on with our team. And my family is the same thing. They are really rooting for the U.S. and for the most part are more interested in how we are doing both on and off the field.'' On his motherÆs Portuguese heritage: ''My mother was born in Portugal, but she moved to Argentina when she was about 10. She speaks Portuguese, but she grew up speaking Spanish, so that is what I spoke in the house, as well, along with English. ''I know where her side of the family is from and IÆve been there a few times, but the bigger side of my family is more from Argentina, but yes, my motherÆs side is from Portugal.ö On the fatigue of playing year-round in a World Cup year and the possibility of injury: ''I donÆt think it is a problem. I think it is just unlucky timing. Injuries happen. Anytime the World Cup rolls around you get motivated for it again. You would rather be a bit more fresh for it, but when it comes down to it, a World Cup is motivation enough to get energy again. ''Maybe about two weeks ago, I was really tired coming in from the end of the season, but you definitely get that second wind once you get together with the national team again and you get over to Korea and start training again and the World Cup starts, you forget about any tiredness you had.ë On his thoughts on coming back to the World Cup after the 1998 experience: ''I think it is nice to get a chance to comeback and hopefully put things right. The setup has already been much better without even playing our first game. In 1998, before we kicked a ball it was already mess. ''The entire preparation, the atmosphere and attitude of the whole team has been very good. But we will have to do it on the field, and that is still what we are going to be judged on. We want to go out there and compete and feel we can do well in our group. ''As far as the preparation and day-to-day experience of the World Cup, if you asked anyone who was involved with both, they would say this one has been so much better and so much enjoyable so far.'' On Portugal as an opponent: ''I think that they are an outstanding team. They did so well in qualification, coming out of a real tough group in first place. They have some real dangerous players going forward and some players that are very well known that are very good. There are not any secrets, we know their strengths. We have to really be on our toes and defend really well if we are going to have a chance in the game.'' On whether the team has a chance against Portugal: ''We wouldnÆt be here if we didnÆt think so. We are going into this game to win. We want the points just as badly as they do. Our goal is to get to the second round, and these are three important points for us and likewise for them. ''This is not a game where we are saying letÆs go away and worry about the other ones [games]. It is a chance for us to get points. Whether it is three or one, that would be good.''
