You come out of the All-Star break with a pretty good mentality that the last third of the season is going to be pretty difficult. We've had a good mentality after the break.

I'm not going to look at this as being the most critical game of my life, but it's important like the other ones were. Coach knows who I am and what I bring. At the end of the day, if I'm someone that he wants around, then that's what he chooses.

I'm not going to say it's a a do or die, but it's important. You're a forward. That's what you get paid to do.

That was the first time we got a game with Mexico in a pro-American environment, ... Everyone was excited about that. Playing in the cold weather put a little more gamesmanship which was good since they do the same thing to us when we go down there. We got a great result which catapulted us to the World Cup.

I think getting an early goal helps any forward. He has that killer instinct. Once he gets one, he wants them all. ... He was different class in front of the goal today.

We talk about scoring goals; we talk about winning at home, being ahead. None of that means anything if you are not able to hold leads. This come-from-behind tie game - we've done this a number of times this year - it's frustrating; it gets old. The comments in the locker room get old; everything gets old because it culminates to a night where you are up 2-0 when you need to get two points and you're not able to get it. That's pretty sad.

Four goals is a good night for us, but we should have had more. We let them back in the game, but we continued to attack and that made us more dangerous as far as getting that fourth goal.

When he does things well, it's pretty special. But there's a flip side, things he needs to be groomed on and made aware of.