USA out to make amends

Most of America may be riveted to events in the NBA championship play-offs, but in Korea American minds are fixed firmly on balls of the foot rather than the basket variety.

The Americans begin their World Cup against Portugal on Wednesday in the knowledge that whatever the result, it will register barely a flicker of interest compared to the LA Lakers v New Jersey Nets.

Nevertheless, the USA squad are anxious to get into action and attempt to erase the painful memories of France 98 when they were racked by squad disharmony and finished with the worst record of all 32 participants.

Brad Friedel, the Blackburn goalkeeper, believes there has been a sea-change over the last four years.

He told PA Sport: ‘‘The whole atmosphere and mood in the camp is very upbeat. A lot of the problems that were there in the lead up to France 98 have been solved.

‘‘Everything here has been first class - the facilities, the hotel, the feeling with the squad and all the players are very happy.

‘‘Of course, that means we have no excuses now, we have to go and perform on the pitch.

‘‘Everything is in place, the whole team’s make-up and chemistry is better and we feel we can beat everyone given the chance and we will give it our best shot.’’

The players’ wives and girlfriends have arrived in Seoul to link up with the squad, removing one of the sources of complaints from four years ago.

Another positive aspect, according to Friedel, is the team now has a better mix of old heads and young stars.

He said: ‘‘We have people with a lot of experience, such as central defender Eddie Pope, then we have young guys such as DaMarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan who play in the States and who can both do a few good things.

‘‘Then there’s John O’Brien who plays for Ajax and is an incredibly talented player.’’

Portugal are overwhelming favourites, but Friedel is not daunted by the prospect of facing Figo and friends.

He added: ‘‘It’s not going to be very different from playing against David Beckham - they are both incredible strikers of the ball. We are not just going think about Figo, though, they have a whole team of talented players.’’

USA coach Bruce Arena, who took over from Steve Sampson after the last World Cup, has injury concerns over midfielder Claudio Reyna of Sunderland and striker Clint Mathis, who plays for the New York/New Jersey MetroStars.

Mathis is still recovering from a serious knee injury suffered last year.

Reyna said: ‘‘I’m still improving but no decision will be made until some time tomorrow.’’

He also has to pick between Friedel and Tottenham’s Kasey Keller for the goalkeeping position, though the Blackburn keeper is favourite to get the nod.