Ligue1.com: Carlos, the FIFA World Cup draw is coming up this Friday and you’re going to be a very interested onlooker. How does it feel to have qualified for South Africa 2010?

Carlos Bocanegra: “It’s a lot of pressure off I can tell you. Our qualifying campaign was intense, man. It was long and the pressure can’t get any higher – you know the World Cup finals – you’ve got the weight of the whole country on your shoulders. It was really nice at the end to take a deep breath and realise that we’re in the finals, it’s pretty sweet: we’re going to South Africa so let’s really start preparing now for next summer and go down there and try and do something special.”

L1: It’s still early days, but what are your ambitions for the tournament?

CB: “The first thing for us is the draw this Friday. So we’re really excited to see who we’re playing, where our base will be. That’s when it will feel like it will be real, it’s on. As for the World Cup itself, obviously we want to go there and do well and make a big impression. We don’t want to make any bold statements, but saying that, I’m also quietly confident in our team’s ability. We don’t feel like we need to go out there talking up our chances – we just want to go out there and play.

“Our first goal will be to get out of the group and then we’ll be in the knockout stages and from then, anything can happen – as we showed down in South Africa in the Confederations Cup, this year. Making it all the way to the final [and a 3-2 loss to Brazil], beating the European champions Spain [2-0 in the semi-finals]. That was a big positive for us and a big confidence boost for the squad. So if we can get out of the group, that’s when it gets fun and interesting. But above all, it is exciting, very exciting.”

L1: You’re the captain of your national team, with 76 caps and 11 goals, how different is your role when you’re with the USA, compared to when you’re with your Ligue 1 club Stade Rennais?

CB: “I try and remain the same, but the problem at Rennes is that I can’t always express myself the way I would like in French and that is hard for me because sometimes I feel like I can’t completely get my point across. But you just try and lead with your actions.

“I try to be a good guy and get along well with everybody in the group and give it my all in training and in the games. You know, you don’t have to speak to lead by example. My work rate and my work ethic hopefully rub off on other people, but having said that, there are a lot of players in both squads that do that – the USA and the Stade Rennais squads are good healthy teams to be a part of.”

L1: Just after you’d qualified with a 3-2 win over Honduras, the team was dealt a real blow when Charlie Davies was seriously injured in a car crash... How did the squad cope with that?

CB: “It was really difficult. Charlie is one of the young guys in the team, up and coming and he’s been doing really well. But above all, he is a really good kid, really good in the squad, all the guys like him. It was a huge shock to hear what had happened and those are difficult situations to react to, especially considering we had a game coming up a few days later.

“The main thing for everyone was that we knew he was going to be alright. He was going to be healthy, and come back strong. We knew we were going to miss him for a few months, but in general, even in that time, his general health outside of soccer is going to be alright and that was the most important thing for us.”

L1: Do you think Charlie can realistically comeback to top line football?

CB: “Yeah, for sure. Absolutely! He was really lucky in the accident just to get clean breaks and he was very fortunate in that sense. All the doctors are saying that he’ll be able to come back. You know when someone is in rehab they generally have the time to get everything right and they always come back stronger and I know he will as well.

“He’s a great kid, a little fighter, he’s got a great spirit and that’s another reason why he’s a massive part of our team and he’ll be coming back strong.” 

L1: Since his injury, we’ve seen just what an impact he made at his Ligue 1 club Sochaux with the players and the fans giving him a lot of support...

CB: “It’s all thanks to his hard work. You know he’s one of those players that never gives up, and he gets those forwards goals, where he’s always busy in the box, he never stops on the play and is always looking to get a tap in or a deflection. The fans like that. He’s a grinder – a hard worker – and you want that from a forward, at least from us, the defenders stand point, we love those guys, in our team!”

>> PART 1: Bocanegra: 'We're fired up for Lyon'

In Part 3, this Saturday, Carlos Bocanegra talks about the current campaign and his big hopes for Stade Rennais!

Ligue1.com - R.Thomson