Bob Bradley unplugged

After tonight's US-Czech Republic game, we went to US head coach Bob Bradley's press conference. The man went to Princeton so he's got a few things to say. Here's most of his 14 plus minutes.

Last game before cutting 30 players to 23

"It's a night when they come off the field, the emotion. We're at a point where some tough decisions have to be made. Still a respect we have for what they put into the camp, the game. As a player, coming into camp to make a team and go into the World Cup is a special thing. As it gets closer, those emotions come out.
On a night when the result doesn't go our way, pay tribute to these guys and all the hard work they've put in."

How do you make the final cuts?

"I have so many things flying through my head right now. We'll talk as a staff, pull out the DVD and look at certain things. Lot of energy, a little bit crazy. Collective effort, didn't always do well enough on final side. At times we left ourselves wide open."

The substitutes

"Tonight was about looking at guys, sizing up different possibilities. The subs that we used tonight were all geared towards looking at people. Guys at camps before, played through this cycle. Thoughts about what they bring to the team in terms of chemistry and mentality."

Beasley and Gomez

"It's been a good camp for DeMarcus. He's showed his teammates again that there's a renewed committment there and that's what showed. Herculez played his way into camp. He scored a goal tonight that's very important in this whole thing. Here's a guy that was totally out of the picture. He'll certainly be discussed."


Onyewu

"We've seen improvement in camp. Overall reactions to the game were good, on the ball passing was solid. All those things move up a few more notches. The ability to size things up. Get good position on players."

Will they decide the 23 tonight or tomorrow morning?

"Team meeting while we're eating as a coaching staff, we'll see how far we are. Tell the players either late tonight or early tomorrow morning, depends where we are on some things. Typically what we do is look at DVD to remember plays that we saw and have it exactly right."

International game

"When you go to the World Cup, the challenges, demands, speed of the game, athleticism is incredibly high. YOu want to make sure that players that are going in the 23 are where they need to be as well as everything else. In the midst of everything else tonight, reactions and movements and seeing where guys are. There's time to keep working on that but you can only make up so much."

What do you say to the guys you cut?

"We'll have a discussion with each person we're letting go, thank them, tell them how much we appereciate them putting into it. It's usually not a long discussion, usually when you're on the receiving end of bad news you don't want to have a long conversation. We try with the way we go about things to be clear and upfront. The kind of mutual respect in terms of what we do together."


The forwards

"Across the board with the forwards, how they'll adjust to international game which goes faster. One thing I've said, when you get into a international game or top club match, the window for plays is small and it shuts quickly. If you're used to it being bigger, staying open longer it doesn't work that way. You wait to see if there's too many times where a play comes in their direction and a defender is able to step in front and take it away the attacking player isn't thinking fast enough."