Before training began, head coach Sergej Barbarez and national team player Nidal Čelik held a press conference.

In his opening remarks, the coach thanked media representatives who traveled to the United States to follow the national team and said: "The team is ready, we've trained well, and we're eager to play, especially against teams that aren't from Europe. We want to experience different mentality and style of play as well. Those are challenges that interest us, to see how we can compete with teams from outside our continent because they have a different approach to football."

Among other topics, Sergej Barbarez also discussed the team's adaptation to a new time zone: "We didn't have as many problems with sleep as we did with the rhythm we brought from Europe. You could see a little fatigue among the players at first, but now everything is as it should be."

The head coach also spoke about the upcoming World Cup appearance: "It's a great honor for us to be here and to be part of this story. We have a responsibility and obligations to our country to give everything we have and achieve the best result possible. It'll certainly be a special moment when our anthem begins before that first game. That's when I'll be especially proud."

Nidal Čelik: "We're all ready for what's awaiting for us at the World Cup, but right now we're focused only on tomorrow's match with Panama. My dream was to play for the national team, and I'm happy it's come true, that I'm here with my teammates and coaching staff. From our first day in St. Louis, we've felt the support of our people who live here. It means a lot to us, and we'll do everything we can to make them happy."

The Panama vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina match is scheduled for tomorrow, June 6, at 14:00 local time (21:00 CET) at Energizer Park in St. Louis.