Team USA coach Bruce Arena identified Fiorentina's Luca Toni and AC Milan's Alberto Gilardino as the biggest threats from the Azzurri for his team, while he was also impressed by Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi in the Italy v Czech Republic World Cup Group E match.

"The guys we're most concerned about are their two strikers, who are probably among the best tandem of strikers in the World Cup," Bruce Arena said. "Both are tremendous finishers. Gilardino is a lethal finisher inside the box and he is in position all the time."

"I thought De Rossi was very good. He has got a great future," Arena said, referring to Daniele De Rossi's performance in the 2-0 Italy win against Ghana.

"They have an excellent midfield. If they sit back, you need to be patient, pick your chances, not get caught on the break," Arena went on to say. "They are going to be selective on how they attack you."

Bruce Arena was critical of his players' performance during their first match against the Czech Republic, especially against US midfielder DaMarcus Beasley. After the end of the first match, Arena had said "We got nothing out of Beasley," and DaMarcus replied by saying that he had no idea what his manager wanted of him in the game, adding the he doubted that he was going to play against Italy if Arena thought this way.

"DaMarcus hasn't been a problem with anything. There are no issues with DaMarcus. There's no problem with DaMarcus. Remarks from DaMarcus and me should probably not have been stated," Arena said, adding that "the final product doesn't look like what it really is."

US midfielder Bobby Convey gave more insight into the team's preparations for the match. "We have to start well. When you don't, it takes away the urgency of the team. When the other team scores it's a shock."

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