Arena raises US hopes
08 Jun 2006 - 17:21:04
USA coach Bruce Arena is bullish about his side's prospects at the World Cup finals, despite a poor recent record in games played in Europe.
The Stars and Stripes have only ever won twice in Europe during Arena's eight-year tenure, but he isn't too worried about that record.
He told reporters: "We realise we are playing against big names from big clubs but we've learned from the past they are just players, like we are.
"We can play with anyone in the world on a given day.
"Regardless of the opponents, whether they have a pretty good pedigree with players from teams like AC Milan or whatever, that doesn't concern us at all.
"I think we'll see some of the big boys will be going home early."
Arena has been boosted by the news that skipper Claudio Reyna has recovered from a hamstring problem to be fit for the US' opening game against the Czech Republic.
"Claudio's like a fine wine. He gets better with age. He knows this is one of his last great opportunities as a player," Arena commented.