U.S. Soccer provides an update from the national team camp in Florida, where Bruce ArenaÆs team is preparing for its July 23 match in Costa Rica (ESPN2 1 pm ET): Gregg Berhalter joined the rest of his national team teammates at training at Lockhart Stadium this morning after arriving yesterday afternoon from Europe. The team fought Guatemala-like weather conditions on the field today as head coach Bruce Arena conducted a 90-minute training session. Each of the 19 players in camp participated in training today, which consisted of an assortment of possession drills and exercises designed stress quick ball movement. The high-energy session ended with a nine v. nine game on a shortened field. As was the case yesterday, the team met to dissect videotape following a meal at the hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. TodayÆs video spotlighted Costa Rica in their two Gold Cup matches played earlier this year. Training will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday and Friday at the Miami FusionÆs training facility in Ft. Lauderdale. Following a 9:00 a.m. charter flight to San Jose, Costa Rica, on Saturday, the team will train at Saprissa Stadium at 2:15 p.m. TodayÆs planned scrimmage against EnglandÆs Nottingham Forest was canceled. Q&A with Frankie Hejduk Q: Can you describe what happened to Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the year last season? A: It was the total ideal situation. We had the lead going into the last weekend and were playing a team that was in the middle, or near the bottom of the league. It was away from home, but that was no problem because we had won games on the road leading up to that. We were playing really well, winning games 9-1, 4-1, 3-1. So the team was playing really great and everything was in our favor. Even all the players felt like we had this game in hand, like this one was going to be no problem, and we had the right to feel that way because we were playing so well. A couple of days before the game one of our players got hurt, and it sort of mixed up the team a bit. We have so many players on the team that it shouldnÆt have made a difference, but it actually did. On the day of the game we came out super flat and basically had a nightmare. I donÆt know if it was nerves or what, but you could tell right from the kickoff that things werenÆt going our way. Then we go out and score an own goal and that pretty much describes the whole game for us. It was a bit unfortunate, because it was our game to lose and we did. It was our fault. There was no reason we should have lost that game, or at least come out with a tie, which would have given us the championship. Q: What was the transition like when you first moved to Germany? A: Well, the move from California to Tampa was nothing — just moving from beach to beach, really. But moving to Germany was a whole different everything. It was a really big change for me. In the beginning I was just so psyched to go to Europe that I thought ôWell, IÆll adapt to it.ö And for the first six months it was cool, no problems. But after a while it kind of wore me down, and I thought maybe I wasnÆt as ready as I thought I would be. It was a little bit difficult there for a while, but now IÆve come to accept it. ItÆs not the best living conditions, but the bottom line is that IÆm playing where I want at the top level against some of the best players in the world. Am I going to stay in Germany? Who knows. IÆm just taking it as it comes and learning from it. Q: Is the jump from Tampa Bay Mutiny to the Bundesliga as extreme as one would guess? A: Totally. ItÆs not even close. The games are so much faster over there and then you add in the atmosphere and the fans and the professionalism of the players. ItÆs so cool to see how die-hard the fans are over there and how crazy everyone is about soccer. You get mobbed by people when you walk down the street and everyone knows who you are, and you just donÆt get that here in America. ItÆs easy to get a feel for how important the games are to those people. ItÆs a pretty cool feeling when you go to dinner and everyone knows who you are. You donÆt get too much recognition playing here in the U.S., and sometimes you feel like the game doesnÆt get any respect. Then you go over there, and feel that atmosphere, and it makes you want to keep playing the game. Q: Watching your teammates withstand both the elements and an attack on Sunday, was it hard preparing yourself to come off the bench in Guatemala? A: I knew my job going into the game, and I knew I was coming off the bench if I was going to play at all, so I prepared myself mentally for that. In terms of warming up, it took me about one minute to get ready. Coming into a game where you lead 1-0, and the other team is pressuring you and has the better of the game, is difficult because you need a little luck. Unfortunately, we didnÆt have that luck. I thought we played pretty well, but in the last 15-20 minutes they really came after us. Coming into a game like that you got to expect that to happen. Just to get out of there with a point was good, because thatÆs the way it is in these games — away from home you need a point. Now we got to make sure we beat them when they come to the United States. Q: YouÆve been to Costa Rica with the national team before. What can we expect to see down there? A: ItÆs going to be intense. I think its going to be like Guatemala times 10. The fans down there are crazy for the game, and theyÆll be even more of them that there were in Guatemala. ItÆll be just as hot, and on top of that, I think Costa Rica is an even better team. TheyÆre faster and even more organized, and itÆs unfortunate for them that they couldnÆt beat Barbados, but itÆs qualifying and anything can happen. Again, if we can walk out of there with a point, right on. Then well beat æem when they come to America.