Landon Donovan wasn't thrilled with the U.S. performance last Sunday in a 0-0 tie with Canada and expects a lot more against Norway this Sunday (live on ESPN2 and Telemundo 5 pm ET/2 pm PT).
Interview by Ridge Mahoney in San Diego
SOCCER AMERICA: What's your assessment of this game with Canada?
LANDON DONOVAN: We weren't good. I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed in a lot of performances. I think we need to understand this is a World Cup year and for some people, this could be their last chance. If you're not smart enough to realize that, that's not good.
SA: Is this more disappointing since most of players came to camp in good shape and the training sessions were reasonably sharp?
LD: We've had a great training camp, really, really good. People get in and are anxious and maybe trying too hard. You forget the reason you're here is because Bruce [Arena] has seen you in the league and he likes the way you play and he wants you to bring that to this team. Maybe people try to do too much, try too hard. We just need to settle down and play. We were just over-excited.
SA: Are you perhaps expecting too much since this was the first game of the year after a long layoff from competitive play?
LD: I expect a lot of us. I don't accept tying or losing. That being said, was the effort bad? No. We should be a lot better at this part of preseason than we were tonight. One game you can write off.