One thing has been certain during this World Cup. Turning off the television early is the last thing you want to do.
This is especially true for matches involving the "Group of Death." The United States and Portugal fit this chaotic script to a tee as they battled to a 2-2 tie in sweltering Manaus.
Portugal received a gift of a goal in the 5th minute, when U.S. defender Geoff Cameron botched a routine clearance that fell at the feet of Nani, who had no trouble scoring the match's opening goal.
The rest of the half was dominated by the U.S. The Americans controlled possession and moved the ball around nicely throughout the entire first half. Michael Bradley took some chances from deep, Fabian Johnson found repeated success making runs down the right wing, and Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo was a non factor. But the Yanks entered halftime down a goal.
The second half wasn’t anything too different - with the obvious exception that the U.S. managed to find the back of the net. The United States continued to press against Portugal, only suffering a couple counter attacks, during which either Portugal spoiled or Tim Howard came up huge. Michael Bradley received a stellar cross from Fabian Johnson in the 55’, which was miraculously saved by defender Ricardo Costa, who was covering the out-of-position goalkeeper. Then, in the 64th minute, Jermaine Jones scored one of the best goals of the tournament, freezing second string Portuguese goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
The U.S. continued their press, encountering only one shot on goal from Nani as a real threat until Captain America, a.k.a. Mr. Clutch, a.k.a. Clint Dempsey chested a ball past Rimando to put the U.S. into the knockout stage.
Now all the U.S. had to do was defend an extra 10 minutes of play, plus the questionable five minutes of stoppage added by the referee. They held strong, and wasted time perfectly until midfield rock Michael Bradley turned the ball over, which spurred a Portugal counter. The ball found Cristiano Ronaldo who was having a subpar- if not nightmare - of a game. But the Real Madrid man streaked down the right side and served up a spectacular ball, which found substitute Silvestre Varela - who scored an equalizer that also just happened to break the heart of every U.S. soccer fan simultaneously.
The Americans were 30 seconds away from a spot in the round of 16, but now can advance if one of these three things happen: 1) The U.S. beats Germany; 2) The U.S. ties Germany; 3) Ghana and Portugal tie in their match. That said, it gets more complicated if the United States loses and Ghana and Portugal do not tie. The United States will then be rooting for a Portugal win, otherwise it will head to goal differential as a tie break.
No matter the outcome, the United States showed they belong in this difficult group. Should they tie with Germany, the Germans would finish first and the U.S. would finish second, which would be a win on both sides.
The United States will need to regroup after a heartbreaking tie, but Jurgen Klinsmann has showed that the team he assembled isn’t faint-hearted. Jurgen will now have to take on his home country in what is almost a storybook ending for the group stage. Michael Bradley will have to do better in the next affair. He hasn’t shown the form he is capable of in the first two matches of the tournament, and his mistake in the midfield today was costly.
Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard have all been more than stellar. All have shown poise, pace and reliability when called upon. Also, all substitutions made my Klinsmann have been on-point and successful in the first two matches. Youngster Deandre Yedlin played out of his mind for the 20 minutes he was on the pitch and Chris Wondolowski did a great job wasting time in the Portuguese third after replacing Dempsey.
However, Germany is Germany. They are one of the most stacked and talented teams in the 32-team field, but the US has shown one thing - they can play with anyone and, although this result hurts for U.S. fans, the Yanks are still in a good place. As they say, on to the next one.
