Quaranta excited to be back

“It’s real good to be back. It was great. [U.S. head coach] Bob [Bradley] was great. The whole time, really, I took a lot out of the trip. The whole attitude part of it was just a great experience. I think that it was unfortunate what happened in the last game, but overall, the guys that were in there worked hard. You come back with more of a role in leadership and wanting to win games again, and understanding what it takes. So it’s been good on that part.”

How do you feel physically?

“It’s tough to be away for a month, mentally, you know, and the ups and downs of the tournament. But I’m excited to be back, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow night. Especially when we’re struggling a little bit now, and to get back in the locker room and bring some life back into the locker room is good. That’s the most important thing now, we’ve got to get back on the same page, and understand that we’re a good team, get the swagger back that we had.”

What did you learn this time with the national team that you didn’t before?

“Just how amazing it really is to play for your country. There are so many people out there that would love the opportunity and never get it. Especially, the game here was special, and there’s a whole different mentality that you take away from it, how gratifying it is for me personally. I can’t specak on anybody else’s behalf. But I’ll never forget it.”

On the adversity that United currently faces, with injuries and disappointing results:

“We have a really strong locker room. When we’re all together, and we’re all playing and enjoying it, we have a really good team here. The injuries naturally bring you down as a unit. But I think that everybody understands that it takes a lot of hard work. We have to put together a 90-minute performance. We’ve been talking about that for a long time. Win or lose, you just hope you put in a good performance. Eleven guys on the field, and that’s what we’re looking to do this weekend.”

On where the expectations go from here with the U.S. team:

“Bob had a group of players, a block of six guys that he liked, with Stuart [Holden] and Robbie [Rogers] and the guys on the team that were starting. You just want to come in and make some kind of impression, on and off the field, being a good teammate, whatever it may be. Bob was amazing. I didn’t know what to expect, and I heard things here and there. But I tell you he’s one of the best coaches I’ve played for. He said all the right things and understood a lot about the game. Where it stands now is I just keep going with my club, and I still have a lot things going from now until qualifiers. We’ll see where it goes from here.”

(The rest of the half-dozen, I suppose, was Troy Perkins, Brian Ching, Chad Marshall, and Kyle Beckerman.)

On the importance of this weekend’s match at Houston:

“It’s a huge game. Coming off two disappointing games, it’s very important, being on the road. They’re a good team, and I think it’s one of those games where it really is a test of your character overall, for everybody here. You see where you stand as a team after this game, and that’s the way I feel personally about this game. Hopefully we put a good, hardworking performance in because we’ve got the players and the talent here.”

On watching D.C. United games and highlights via laptop:

“In the hotels, there’s no Fox Soccer Channel or no Direct Kick, and I wasn’t going out or trying to figure out where we could go.”