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On losing the Gold medal match:

"We should not see Silver as a defeat. The players worked hard for eight years and we have won six World Championships and two World Cups among other titles. Right now we are frustrated. But we have to learn from our mistakes and try to do better next time."

On his future as Brazil coach and the future of the squad:

"It's difficult to say now whether I will stay or not. I have to think about it. If I can keep giving my contribution to the team, I'll stay. My sadness is not so much losing a Gold medal, so much as losing players. We're like a family, and we will miss them. But if a new person (a new coach) can come in with new skills, I would not mind that."

Hugh McCUTCHEON (NZL) - USA head coach

On the match:

"It was a very difficult match, a very difficult environment. Our guys embraced it. Brazil seemed more comfortable in the first set, but things changed in the second set, and after that it was just two teams battling hard."

On winning an Olympic Gold medal:

"For us to be Olympic champions in the same year as World League champions validates our goals, and it's a great achievement for us."

 

On his immediate reaction to victory:

"It's been a very emotionally demanding couple of weeks. After we won, I had to step outside and collect myself. But regardless of my reaction, I hope people were watching the champion USA Volleyball team. This team probably a year ago no-one would consider being Olympic champions, but they have come out and proved everyone wrong."

On their opponents:

"Brazil have been setting the gold standard for a long time. Their record is phenomenal. When we were putting together a plan (for the Olympic cycle), we knew we had to peak in '08. We've been learning from what they're (Brazil) doing, their systems. They have had a profound influence on the world of Volleyball."

On the future of the squad:

"The chance is we'll lose some players after this. They've invested a lot of years in this, and now we've achieved (this goal) they might hang it up. Luckily we have some young players coming through. I like the guys waiting in the wings. But we also have a core of players who will stay and continue playing, they love playing for their country."

Captain Giba (BRA) - Silver

On losing the Gold medal match:

"It's hard to analyse the match now. The USA team played well. They've grown a lot in the last few years. We did our best, but the best was not enough and we have to know how to handle it."

On the team's unity:

"We leave this competition happy. Yesterday we got together and each of the players talked about how proud they are to be part of this team. We're never going to lose this unity we have, no matter what happens, this is our biggest medal."

On his future after the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games:

"My plan is to play until 2010. I have to analyse my needs and my family's needs. I hadn't been able to speak to my daughter during the whole competition and once you're getting older these kinds of things have a bigger weight."

Captain Thomas HOFF (USA) - Gold

On the match:

"Obviously this match is a culmination of a dream that Hugh (McCUTCHEON, NZL) gave us four years ago. We needed to believe in it before it could happen. He (McCUTCHEON) talked about it with great conviction, he pressed that upon us to do the best we could in every practice."

"It's a great reflection of his vision (McCUTCHEON's) to come out here and to do what he talked about four years ago."

On the key to USA's recent success (in the World League and Olympic Games):

"I don't think it was at any one time that immediately sent us down this path."

"It was the times behind closed doors in practice with Hugh and the staff. It's all the work that we put in that no one else really sees apart from the team and the staff."