By IVES GALARCEP
MANAUS, Brazil — Win and they reach the World Cup Round of 16, lose and things will get extremely complicated.
That’s the task at hand for the U.S. Men’s National Team as a victory against Portugal today at Arena Amazonia would secure a place in the knockout rounds for the Americans, who would move into first place in Group G with a win.
Standing in the way is Portugal and reigning World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo, who will look to erase the memories of a disappointing 4-0 loss to Germany by torching a U.S. defense that showed signs of vulnerability against Ghana.
For some pre-game reading, here is my Goal.com piece on how the U.S. team will go about stopping Ronaldo. Also, former U.S. World Cup hero Brad Friedel chimes in with a detailed breakdown of what it’s like to face a Cristiano Ronaldo free kick.
SBI will be providing live commentary on today’s match so please feel free to follow the action here. As always, you are welcome to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (Today’s commentary is after the jump):