æIÆm focused up frontÆ

Crew forward Brian McBride says heÆs going back to being a targetman after dabbling in midfield for much of the season.

SA: Losing to Rochester in the Open Cup semis must rank as one of your most frustrating defeats. BM: Even more frustrating is walking around in the stands at the final and seeing your own fans looking at you and going, ôWhy arenÆt you guys out there?ö ThereÆs no other way of explaining it except that it pisses you off. SA: D.C. United swept you in four games, you lost three of four to Tampa this season, and the Rhinos knocked you out. Can this team win the big games? BM: I donÆt think the Tampa games were critical, but you bring up a good point. We need to step up and win the big games, and to this point, we havenÆt. SA: Coach Tom Fitzgerald has said the team struggles to get in sync. HasnÆt it been difficult for you to work more as a setup man rather than as a target? BM: ItÆs a big adjustment, and itÆs one that Fitzie and [assistant coach] Greg [Andrulis] have told me they donÆt want me doing anymore. ItÆs been hard for me, but the way things are going now, IÆm happier. IÆm focused up front, and the way Stern [John] plays so offensively, thereÆs times where IÆm going to be defending more. But instead of, after defending, hanging out underneath or trying to create space for him, they want me to go up front and be more in the mix. SA: What were the main topics during the playersÆ-only meetings held earlier in the season? BM: ThereÆs been a lot of things going on outside of soccer here, things that can definitely take your mind off the team. We have to re-focus ourselves and get rested up for the playoffs, so everyone is turned straight and headed down the same road. SA: Getting back to the Open Cup, you had a lead, and couldnÆt hold it. What happened? BM: We lost our composure. We started to get spread out and not playing smart soccer. To RochesterÆs credit, theyÆre a hard-working team. They had a game plan of counterattacking, and they executed it very well. SA: So did ôAmericaÆs hardest-working teamö get out-worked? BM: I think we worked hard enough, we just didnÆt play smart enough. by Soccer America senior editor Ridge Mahoney