American troops stationed in Ramstein have given the United States an emotional lift ahead of Saturday's World Cup clash against Italy.

The US must win at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion to give themselves a realistic chance of progressing to the next stage after losing 3-0 to the Czech Republic in their opening game, and captain Claudio Reyna said the troops have inspired them.

"We had a great reception," the Manchester City midfielder said.

"They are all very excited for us and it was very nice for us to be among Americans.

"Some of them will be coming to the game.

"Seeing and speaking to some of the troops that have just arrived from Iraq, it really put things into perspective with all the things that are happening in the world.

"After all, this is just a game of football."

It is no ordinary game, though. Expectations were high for this US side after the World Cup four years ago when the Americans upset Portugal and Mexico before falling to Germany in the quarter-finals.

The US simply never provided the type of challenge many expected against the Czechs, with coach Bruce Arena complaining that some of his players lacked aggression.

"This game is great challenge for us," Reyna said.

"We face a nation that has an amazing football tradition and we need to show what we are made of.

"We need to be brave and show as a team that we want to go through to the next stage."

Reyna says his team-mates have already put behind them their disappointing performance against the Czechs.

"Regardless of the result in the opening game, we knew that we would need to get a result against Italy," he said.

"After our defeat against the Czechs, we were disappointed but the very next day we got back to work.

"I spoke with many of my team-mates and they were all relaxed and focused on the next game.

"We now know what we need to get and that is a positive result and that urgency could help us."

The 32-year-old believes he and his team-mates have learned their lessons from the opening clash.

"We know we have to remain concentrated and focused from the very first minute until the last," he said.

"We cannot make the same mistake of giving away a goal early on."

Reyna is aware his team will face a difficult challenge to stop the advances of Italian attacking duo Luca Toni and Alberto Gilardino, who failed to score in their opening 2-0 triumph against Ghana.

"Toni and Gilardino are hungry for goals," said Reyna. "They are predators and if we give them a chance, they will put it away."