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Published: March 30, 1998

"If we don't get three points out of Iran I don't foresee us going through to the next round" says Liverpool goalkeeper Brad Friedel who played played a big part in the US reaching France 98.

Now they face a harder test - getting results out of a Group which contains the second favourite team and two unknown quantities.

In an exclusive interview with wldcup.com Brad Friedel spoke about how he thinks his team will fare against such odds.

" Germany speak for themselves. Not too many people are talking about Yugoslavia but they could very well be the most talented team in our Group so we really have our work cut out for us. But I think playing Germany in the first game is about as good a time that you would ever want to play Germany in a World Cup so hopefully we can get a result out of that."

Most Americans are talking about the Iran game.

"Yeah, you know in my mind, all politics aside, that's just a game that we have to get three points out of. If we don't get three points out of Iran I don't foresee us going through to the next round."

Who will do well in the World Cup and will there be any surprises along the way?

"I think there will be some surprises. That's because in every single event like this there is always a surprise somewhere along the line. I don't know who that will be."

Personally, I like Spain I think they are a very good team they are going to have a strong side this year. Obviously you can never count out Brazil. When they play with their full team it's something else. To be honest with you, I like France. Its in their country and that makes the difference."

This is your second World Cup. What memories do you have of the 1994 tournament and what do you foresee the US team accomplishing in France 98?

"I think in '94 just getting through to the second round for our team that was a great achievement. Since we have done that I think that all of us would like to build and progress each time a World Cup comes around so maybe our goal this year should be to get into the quarter finals."

What do you think are the US teams strengths and weaknesses?

"Obviously I am not going to go into our weaknesses in an interview but I would say the best things we have going for us is that we are a team that are going to work hard for 90 minutes. We are not as talented as some teams but we can grind out results because of our determination and organisation. Also we have a great group of guys that get along very well with one another so that really helps".

How do you rate yourself against your goalkeeping collegues Kasey Keller and Jurgen Sommer?

Actually I think all three of us are different In that we all have our own styles and when it comes down to it are all fairly big so I guess some things would be fairly similar. If you did see the three of us play you could definitely see differences between us, our personalities and the way we conduct ourselves in goal."

Was it disappointing not playing in the semi-final match against Brazil and the Mexico final of the Gold Cup?

To tell you the truth not really. I knew I was going to play the first three games and that Kasey would play the next three so it was known beforehand. I just went in and concentrated on my own performances and that's all I could do. It wasn't disappointing that I was not there so to speak because I was here in England trying to win a spot for Liverpool."

What did you think about the win over Brazil?

"I was amazed ! I think most people around the world were amazed as well !"

The new MLS League season has just started up. You had great experiences there with Columbus Crew before he joined Liverpool. What do you expect for the new season ?

" I think each year it's going to get better and better and this year probably I think the stronger times will be towards the end of the season when it's going in towards the play offs. During the World Cup there's a little bit of a break. It's not a break in the League but they will be missing quite a few players."

Each year the League is going to get bigger and bigger I don't know what year it's actually going to make the major breakthrough or anything like that but it's definitely got the potential to become a very powerful League in the world."