World Cup: Portugal Gives U.S. a Kick in the Gut

Manaus, Brazil

(The Wall Streen Journal)

If the U.S. men's national soccer team somehow doesn't advance to the knockout round of this World Cup, they will spend a long four years thinking about how they were just seconds away from it.

In a thrilling if heartbreaking 2-2 tie, Portugal's Silvestre Varela scored in the fifth and final minute of stoppage time to bring Portugal back from the verge of elimination and pull the Americans back from surviving this tournament's Group of Death. (See a minute-by-minute statistical breakdown of how the match of the day played out.)

The goal, off a picture-perfect cross from Cristiano Ronaldo, wrecked a gutty comeback for the U.S. The Americans fell behind early, then took the lead with two second-half goals, only to see it slip away when Varela outran defender Geoff Cameron and headed the ball home.

The Americans now head into their final group match with Germany on Thursday needing a draw to guarantee a spot in the round of 16. A draw would also win the group for Germany, whom U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann used to coach.

"Anyone who had a chance to be in Manaus will talk about this game for a long time," Klinsmann said. "It's a bummer you have to swallow."

"Football is cruel sometimes," said goalkeeper Tim Howard. "But tomorrow will be a new day."

The Portuguese weren't thrilled, either. Despite the late goal, Portugal coach said Paulo Bento said the draw was difficult to take.

"Our players are a bit sad now," Bento said.

Clint Dempsey started the game with a broken nose and a black eye. But for a little while it looked like he would finish it with the most clutch of goals that would send the Americans to the knockout round.

A deflection off Dempsey's chest in the 81st minute gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead. Stunningly, it put the Americans on the brink of surviving a group that also includes Ghana and Germany. Few gave the Americans a chance of moving on when this tournament began.

It wasn't pretty. It was never going to be on this brutally hot night in the Amazon. Nani's goal in the sixth minute off a miserable defensive play by Cameron made it look like this wasn't going to be the Americans' night.

But with the future of their journey to Brazil likely hanging in the balance, midfielder Jermaine Jones rocketed a shot from 25 yards out in the 64th minute, giving life to a team that—had the U.S. lost—faced the ugly prospect of needing points against powerful Germany later this week. Seventeen minutes later, Graham Zusi picked up a loose ball in the penalty area, crossed it to Dempsey 3 yards from an open net, where the captain punched it home.

After the opening minutes, the Americans were every bit the equal of Portugal, pounding their depleted defense down the right side, sending defenders to join the attack and battling for loose balls with their elbows up.

There was a golden chance for the U.S. in the 55th minute as Dempsey carried the ball almost to the near post on the right side, then sent it perfectly across the goal to Michael Bradley, who—4 yards from an almost wide-open goal—deflected it into the shin of defender Ricardo Costa.

The U.S. came into the match facing the simplest of World Cup math—a win would put them in the knockout round.

Things went poorly at the start for the U.S. They struggled to move the ball up the field early, and in the fifth minute Cameron failed to clear. The ball rolled off his foot and straight to Nani, who hesitated briefly, then hammered the ball in from 6 yards out. It was the sort of ugly mistake the U.S. had avoided last week against Ghana.

Coming into the match, a draw seemed anything but tragic. Klinsmann thus went with a conservative lineup. With striker Jozy Altidore out of action with a strained hamstring, Klinsmann decided to start a fifth midfielder, Zusi, and use Dempsey as a lone target at the tip of the U.S. attack. The move represented a clear statement of respect for Ronaldo, arguably the world's best player, who is especially lethal when his midfielders hit him as he streaks diagonally through the defense.

The idea was to clog the middle of the field and make it difficult for Portugal's midfielders to find the space to make those passes, a soccer version of hockey's neutral-zone trap.

The plan largely worked. Ronaldo had few opportunities, but Zusi struggled in the attacking half of the field. A second-half sub in the first game with terrific touch on set pieces, Zusi lacks the foot skills to beat the best defenders in Europe one-on-one.

It was a brutally warm night in the Amazon, near 90 degrees at kickoff with heavy humidity. The conditions were deemed so challenging that referee Nestor Pitana declared a water break in the 39th minute, a rarity in a sport where the clock supposedly never stops.

Still, the U.S. had its chances. It held the ball for 48% of the game and produced 15 shots. Portugal had 20.

The early deficit appeared to wake up the Americans. Within minutes they began to push the ball ahead. Defender Fabian Johnson forced his way up the right side to earn a corner kick. In the 12th minute, Johnson earned a free kick from 25 yards that Dempsey sent just above the crossbar.

Five minutes later, Bradley hit Dempsey on a near-perfect chip over the defense, but by the time Dempsey caught up to it, he was too deep to create much of a chance and slammed the shot into Beto, Purtugal's goalkeeper. On the ensuing corner kick he lofted a shot from a dozen yards over the goal.

Bradley had his first-half chances too—two rockets from 20 yards out, one high and another that rolled wide.

Portugal came in seriously depleted. Defender Pepe was serving a suspension, and Fabio Coentrao, another world-class defender, was out with a leg injury, as was striker Hugo Almeida. His replacement, Helder Postiga, went off in the 16th minute with a leg injury of his own. Even Ronaldo, who has been battling a knee injury, appeared a step slow.

It was a golden opportunity for the Americans. It appeared they would grab it. They did, and then they didn't. Now comes Germany.

"We had one foot in the door, so there is a small bit of disappointment," Howard said. "We're optimistic."

Rumors are sure to swirl that Klinsmann could cut a deal with his good friend Joachim Löw, the head coach of Germany, since a draw will send both teams through, but Klinsmann insisted there will be no deal.

"Our goal is to go to the next round. We will do everything in our capabilities to go to the next round," he said. "We are capable of surprising even more teams in this tournament."

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