World Cup - US vs Portugal

I'm writing this after the US have already played Germany, but an illness kept me from coherently doing much of anything, but especially not writing on this blog.

Let me know if you've heard this before on this blog.  The team gave up an early goal, fought hard to get back to even, and then gave up a late goal to lose/tie.  That storyline sounds like nearly everything I have written for the Indy Eleven during the NASL spring season.  Unfortunately, it's also what could be written for the USMNT and their game against Portugal.  What I wrote about the 93rd minute loss of the Indy Eleven to the San Antonio Scorpions was "heartbreak."  This felt more like a punch to the gut.  In fact, I can't recall having ever done it before, but when Ronaldo's cross found Varela's head and then the back of the net, it also found me laying on my stomach on the floor of my living room.  I can't imagine what went through the player's meads and hearts at the time.

Never has a tie felt more like a loss.  Especially when the US had a goal like the one that Jermaine Jones plastered into the side netting curving between a defender and Dempsey.  Gorgeous.

The good news is that a win or a draw against Germany keeps the US moving into the Round of 16.  Even a loss is possible depending on the circumstances.  Those scenarios required somebody to create a spreadsheet, which I stole borrowed from the interwebs.

Win/draw and move on - that makes it easy.