Portugal 1, U.S. 0 (halftime)
The U.S. is behind but encouraged. The Americans hold a slight ball possession advantage, 51% to 49%. Portugal mounts a late surge without inflicting damage. Shots attempted are even at 9-9.
The U.S. sends a message when defender Geoff Cameron comes up and plows into Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo. A foul is called but no yellow card issued.
American Coach Juergen Klinsmann must decide whether to insert another attacker at some point in the second half. The U.S. is effectively pushing forward, but great scoring chances have been few.
Portugal 1, U.S. 0 (44th minute)
American goalkeeper Tim Howard's next save, on a rocket by Nani, is much more challenging. Nani is set up by Cristiano Ronaldo after a long dribbling trek down the field.
The resulting free kick by Ronaldo is disappointing for the Portuguese and a relief for the U.S. It does not come close.
A huge Portugal chance just misses when Nani conks a laser off the right post, fooling Howard. The keeper recovers to bat away a close-in rebound by Eder.
Portugal 1, U.S. 0 (40th minute)
American Fabian Johnson comes up from the back line for his second shot, solidly hit but slightly high and wide.
The U.S. game plan of starting Dempsey as the lone forward while working midfielder Michael Bradley into the attack is paying off with chances. At the same time, many shots are being launched from well outside the box.
Bradley is involved yet again on the next penetration. This time, it's midfielder Jermaine Jones giving it a go, but the ninth U.S. shot winds up in Portugal goalkeeper Beto's midsection.
Cristiano Ronaldo finally fires off an attempt, but it's an easy save for U.S. goalie Tim Howard, his former roommate when both played for Manchester United. An official water break is called, believed to be the first ever at a World Cup.
Portugal 1, U.S. 0 (30th minute)
American forward Clint Dempsey fights his way deep into the box and, under intense pressure from a defender, twists for a shot that raises U.S. hopes but is not solidly struck.
Soon after, Dempsey is on the giving end, feeding midfielder Michael Bradley for a roller that goes wide right.
Make no mistake, the match is going USA's way. The edge in shots grows to 7-2 for the Ameircans. Portugal is struggling to maintain possession of the ball.
Portugal 1, U.S. 0 (23rd minute)
Team USA, after a shaky start, has come alive. Portugal goalkeeper Beto halts U.S. forward Clint Dempsey on a nicely struck but low-percentage try from a difficult angle. Michael Bradley's pass set up Dempsey, who is expending considerable energy despite a broken nose that could impede his breathing.
Dempsey receives the subsequent corner kick and bloops a shot that flies above the crossbar.
Bradley's blast from afar sailed well high but exemplified the U.S. dominance over the last several minutes.
Portugal 1, U.S. 0 (15th minute)
The U.S. attack finally gets untracked. In the 10th minute, Fabian Johnson manages the Americans' first shot, which is blocked.
In the 13th, Clint Dempsey's direct free kick from beyond the box is wells struck but sails over the goal.
Injury-ravaged Portugal loses another man when midfielder Raul Meireles goes down and gets elbowed in the jaw by U.S. midfielder Kyle Beckerman. The nature of his injury is immediately unclear. He is replaced by Eder.
Portugal 1, U.S. 0 (5th minute)
Ronaldo, who has been all over the field since kickoff, showed the magical footwork that earned him the reputation as the world's best player, along with Argentina's Lionel Messi.
Later in the same possession, Portugal's Miguel Veloso booted the ball into the box from the left side. It bounced off central defender Geoff Cameron, who failed to clear the ball, and went directly to an unmarked Nani.
Nani popped in the first goal, putting the U.S. quickly into a hole.
The stage is set for U.S. vs. Portugal -- and an unusual stage it is. The host city of Manaus in northern Brazil is situated in the middle of the Amazon rainforest about 200 miles from the equator. The teams must cope with humidity exceeding 80%, a sandy field ... and super-sized moths flying about.
The mystery of how U.S. Coach Juergen Klinsmann would replace injured striker Jozy Altidore has been cleared, and widespread speculation that he would insert a fifth midfielder instead of bringing on another forward proved accurate.
Graham Zusi, who entered in the second half of a 2-1 victory over Ghana, has gotten the call. Clint Dempsey, broken nose and all, is the lone forward.
For all of the fans' euphoria over the U.S. taking down Ghana and their cautious optimism entering the second World Cup group game on Sunday against an adversary with a ravaged roster, this might come as a surprise: Portugal is a prohibitive betting favorite.
This is a nation with soccer in its DNA. When one player goes down -- or goes nuts, as in the case of suspended defender Pepe -- a capable backup usually steps in. Portugal was afforded five days between games to figure out a new lineup and how to deploy it against its American counterparts.
With Ronaldo answering the bell Sunday, though at less than optimum condition, Portugal remains a formidable team.
What's more, even with the victory, there were a limited number of "attaboys" handed out to the U.S. players from the Ghana match. Their rate of connected passes ranks near the bottom for Cup games to date. They were outshot 21-8, out-possessed 59% to 41%.
Statistics never tell the whole story in soccer. The Americans did gather themselves after seeing striker Jozy Altidore depart on a stretcher and gritted out a fine win.
Against tradition-rich opponents such as Portugal, grit only gets you so far. A performance upgrade seems necessary for a renewal of the euphoria and guarded optimism that made last week a keepsake for U.S. soccer.
Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times
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