Bruce Arena Year Quotations

It was a good win and good experience for a lot of players. I've been told that we finished first in the group, which is nice, but wasn't critical. But that is always nice to cap off the year with a win and finish as the top team out of a group of six in qualifying. That's a great accomplishment for our group. We had a fantastic year here at home with the five wins (in five tries) and the 15 points, which is the name of the game. Great year.

We went through an important year in 2005 where neither Eddie Johnson, John O'Brien, Claudio Reyna nor Cory Gibbs were around much due to injuries, and those are four players that you would think are clearly going to be on our roster for Germany.

The results in Guatemala and Costa Rica were not that critical to me. This one (against Panama) is. This is the one I want to win so we can end the year on a high note and at the same time, give some promising players some opportunities to play and start formulating some strategies for 2006.

The results in Guatemala (0-0) and Costa Rica (3-0 defeat) were not as critical to me. This one is. We want to end the year on a high note.

It's nice. It wasn't critical. But to cap off the year with a win and end up the top team is a great accomplishment for our group.

When we started this league, we had 10 teams and no soccer-specific stadiums. Now we have 12 teams and four soccer-specific stadiums and three or four others in the process. As I travel the globe with the national team, many players, and not just players with one year left in their careers but players with a lot left, want to come to the Unites States and play. Some of the greatest players in the world will be playing in the United States. I really believe that.