As Expected, Jozy Altidore Will Miss the Portugal Match

Today the U.S. soccer federation confirmed what we all could have guessed back on Monday: striker Jozy Altidore (strained left hamstring) will be out on Sunday when the U.S. meets Portugal (6, ESPN) in Manaus. Obviously, two important followup questions come with us but the problem is that at least for now we have no idea who will replace him in the lineup (either Aron Johannsson or Chris Wondolowski) or if Altidore will play another match at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Even without Altidore, who is far from their best player but still one of the most irreplaceable (if that makes sense), I think that the U.S. has a good chance to beat Portugal. It sounds like Matt Besler's hamstring injury is much less severe than Altidore so he should be able to play while Clint Dempsey will also compete whether he has to wear a goofy mask or not.

The U.S. clearly have their issues and Altidore's absence can't be underestimated but few would disagree when I say that Portugal is much more of a mess. Defender Pepe is suspended after receiving a red card vs. Germany, right back Fabio Coentrao is out for the rest of the tournament and forward Hugo Almeida's status is uncertain after he left early with an injury in the 4-0 German beatdown.

It is a must-win for Portugal, they can't afford another lost particularly with that brutal scoring differential starting them in the face. I think another win for the U.S. would basically clinch a spot in the knockout round since I can't see Ghana beating Germany (they play on Saturday).

Sunday is shaping up to be a huge day for U.S. soccer and it's sure to get monster ratings in that primetime slot. Let's hope the U.S. can continue this wave of positive momentum for the sport in this country, after all everybody loves a winner.

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U.S. Finally Solves Its Ghana Issue at the World Cup

It only took three tries but the U.S. men's national team found a way to beat Ghana at a World Cup. What better way to open up their 2014 experience in Brazil than with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Ghana at Estadio Das Dunas in Natal? Ever since the fateful draw in December, we knew that if the U.S. was going to have any chance to advance from Group G, they had to beat Ghana (the same team that had eliminated them in the past 2 World Cups with 2-1 defeats). 21-year-old German-born defender John Brooks was the unlikeliest of heroes for Jurgen Klinsmann as he scored the game-winning goal in the 86th minute-a header from Graham Zusi's on-the-money corner kick. It was the first goal scored by an American substitute in World Cup history, how's that possible?

The fact is that 85% of teams who win their opening match advance to the knockout stage while ESPN's trusted Soccer Power Index gives them a 63% chance after the huge three points. There are many aspects that made this such a sweet victory: Ghana's Andre Ayew had tied it at one in the 82nd minute so this looked like a draw or maybe even loss for the U.S. since they had basically defended the entire match after Clint Dempsey scored the fastest goal in U.S. history (32 seconds in!) and became the first American to score at three World Cups. There were an absurd amount of injuries for the Americans: Jozy Altidore went down with what looked like a serious hamstring injury in the 23rd minute, Dempsey's nose was broken with a high kick to the face and Besler was switched at halftime before he got seriously hurt.

Ghana owned a 59%-41% advantage in possession although truthfully it felt way higher. That's not normally a sound strategy to win at major tournaments but the U.S. made it work since Ghana didn't put together too many great chances, usually bungling passes or losing it in the attacking third. They took 21 shots but only eight landed on goal and Tim Howard was under considerable pressure but he didn't have to be Superman. Ghana got increasingly frustrated as midfielder Mohammed Rabiu picked up a yellow card in the 30th minute and midfielder Sulley Muntari was booked in the 92nd minute. An added bonus is that the U.S. didn't receive any cards, congrats Jermaine Jones!

Altidore will be evaluated more tomorrow and we have to hope that it wasn't as serious as it looked. Aron Johannsson came on for Altidore and despite playing 72 minutes, I can't remember him making a single positive play for the U.S. That's not to say he was terrible, he just didn't do anything to stand out in his first career World Cup appearance. Keep in mind that the striker from Iceland is only 23.

The U.S. is off until Sunday (6, ESPN) when they meet Portugal who got crushed 4-0 vs. Germany earlier this afternoon. That will certainly be a tough match but it doesn't look quite as imposing as we probably expected for a couple reasons: 1) Portuguese defender Pepe received a red card so he's out; 2) forward Hugo Almeida and defender Fabio Coentrao were both subbed out with injuries. Their status is something to monitor in the coming days. Portugal will be desperate and seeking to score many goals (to dig out of their brutal -4 goal differential) while the U.S. would be happy with a tie but a win would essentially put them through. Ghana plays Germany on Saturday (3, ESPN), good luck with that!

Who else already has a case of World Cup fever?



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