U.S. head coach Greg Ryan

On the game:
“It’s our third game in a row against Mexico and we’re tired right now. We’re exhausted from the World Cup, and I think that showed today. We didn’t have the kind of energy or the kind of rhythm that we normally have, and I think that’s normal after the kind of intense World Cup we experienced. To go down a goal and come back quickly I’m proud of the players mustering up the effort to get a goal back.”

On Mexico:
“I think Mexico has shown a lot of improvement. They have a very young team out there and they are getting better all the time…I want to give credit to Mexico because (Mexico head coach) Leo (Cuellar) has done a great job developing a very young group of very talented players.”

On the team’s response to Mexico’s goal with a strike of their own:
“Mexico scored a goal and (the U.S. team) dug a little bit deeper and found a way to get back in the game. I’m not sure they had more than that five minute burst left, but they used it well.”

U.S. forward Heather O’Reilly

On her goal:
“Natasha Kai started it off with her explosiveness, for her to get in such a good position like that. You know if you work hard you are going to get rewarded, and that’s what I tried to do to get in the box. She played a very unselfish ball across.”

On playing this tour right after the Women’s World Cup:
“It’s tough, but it’s something that we do for our fans back home. We have a lot to celebrate for 2007 and that is what this tour is about. We are definitely tired, but it’s a nice thing for the fans and it’s a nice way to come back to the States and celebrate with the people who have supported us.”

On Mexico’s improvement throughout the three games:
“We got a little fatigued through this game, but I have to hand it to Mexico. In the other games, once we started getting goals we broke them as a team. In this game, once we scored they didn’t let up at all and played tough for the whole game. Their growth as a team showed tonight.”

U.S. forward Natasha Kai

On the game and the team:
“We seemed a little tired. We just got back from the World Cup and a lot of our starters are injured, but I think we came out with a lot of heart today and did what we have to do to impress the crowd. It’s the last game of the year and we wanted to give a good show.”

On some midfielders stepping in to play defense:
“It’s hard not having our 21 players. The back four stepped up so much and I want to give them props. Angela Hucles, Lori Chalupny and Leslie Osborne, they did a phenomenal job out there. The whole team, we stuck together when we were down a goal. It shows a lot of character because we kept fighting and got one right back.”

On what she was thinking coming into the game:
“I knew it was going to be tough. I knew Abby was hurt, we all are. No one is 100 percent. But we knew what we needed to do to get through this game and play for 90 minutes.”

On her assist on Heather O’Reilly’s goal:
“I saw her, and I had no angle whatsoever, so I tried to drag the goalkeeper and the defender and they both came with me and that left Heather right open at the back post.”