Vela's Sights Set On Gold Cup Final

Carlos Vela spoke exclusively to Goal.com about the Gold Cup final and the United States national team.

Jul 14, 2009 10:47:35 AM

More On :  Mexico
Carlos Vela - Mexico (Mexsport)
GLENDALE, Ariz. - Mexico finished on top of Group C in the group stages of the Gold Cup with a 2-0 win over Guadeloupe. Although Carlos Vela is recovering from an injury in the opening game against Nicaragua, he will have time to recover before possibly lining up to play against Haiti at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
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Vela spoke exclusively with Goal.com about the upcoming opponents, the US, and becoming a more integral part with Arsenal.  

Haiti finished third in Group B, but Carlos Vela doesn’t see that as affecting the outcome of the game on Sunday.

“I think that at these stages any team is going to be complicated, on one is going to be easy to win. But, I think that the team is going to gain confidence and is going to improve every game. We’re going to look to get to the final and be champions. It’s what we came for,” Vela told Goal.com

Meanwhile, Vela and Mexico have an important game in less than a month's time as Mexico will host the U.S. in World Cup qualifying. US star Landon Donovan recently said the pressure was on Mexico for upcoming encounters. Vela said that Mexico would have to come out with a winning mentality.

“I think that they’ve prepared themselves well. They have improved their football very much and in football we’ve seen that you can win against any team and that no one is invincible. I also think that we’ve got to have a winning mentality; we need to come out and win against the US. So, we’ll see who will win.”


Also, Vela was finally able to join up with Arsenal for the past season after spending his previous time in Europe on loan in Spain. His appearances were mostly reserved for the Carling Cup, but Vela believes that he will further place himself with the Gunners.

“Yes, I think that every year you try to improve and you try to do more than you did the previous season," Vela said. "You have to look for more goals and try to be more of a protagonist for the team.”

Andrea Martinez, Goal.com

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