Weather not an issue, says Bradley

United States midfielder Michael Bradley said he is not worried about the weather conditions ahead of their FIFA World Cup opener in Natal.

Jurgen Klinsmann’s men kick off their Group G campaign against Ghana in the coastal city that has endured three days of non-stop rain, with floods and landslides wreaking havoc as Brazilian authorities move to declare a public disaster.

Torrential downpour has affected Natal since Mexico went head-to-head against Cameroon on Friday, with doubts as to whether the Estadio das Dunas pitch would be playable on Monday.

But speaking on the eve of the USA’s first group match, Bradley said his team-mates were only focused on making a winning start in Brazil.

“I think, for anyone who has watched any of the games so far in the tournament, whether it was Mexico here in Natal, whether it was Ivory Coast and Japan last night in Recife, the weather is what it is,” Bradley told reporters.

“As players, that’s not something we can control. Certainly the game played in this stadium, the field looked to have held up really well.

“We’ll get a better feel for it when we go out and train today, but you get to this point and you’re not worried about little details about whether the wind’s blowing, whether the sun’s out. We’re just excited to get on the field.”