The United States meets Portugal in a huge Group G match at the World Cup, and Portugal needs to pick up some points after a truly disappointing start to their tournament. The Americans held on for a big win, and this game couldn’t be more important to a pair of teams that are struggling with injuries already.
World Cup Odds: Portugal -125, United States +345, Draw +270
Why United States Can Win
Captain Clint Dempsey gives the Americans a quality finisher and he showed it with a goal 30 seconds into their 2-1 win over Ghana. He also proved he was tough after taking a kick to the face, and the Americans can’t afford to lose him with Jozy Altidore likely out for this match with a hamstring injury. While John Brooks’ late goal gets the headlines, Dempsey was his country’s best player and they’ll need his leadership against a Portugal side that will come at them with both barrels.
But the Americans still need to improve in a number of different facets. The midfield couldn’t get a hold of the game and Michael Bradley in particular was pretty bad, so he’ll need to pick it up for this match. The defense was poor as well and if Ghana could manage to get the ball on target, the result would have probably been different. Now, they have to deal with arguably the world’s best player.
Why Portugal Can Win
Cristiano Ronaldo always gives his team a chance to win and even though the Portuguese captain is struggling with an ailing knee, he is still one of the most dangerous players in the World Cup. He’ll have extra motivation after his team’s awful 4-0 loss to Germany in which they lost their composure, and if Ronaldo wants to cement his legacy, he’ll need to put his team on his back offensively because Nani and Hugo Almeida were basically useless, as was Joao Moutinho.
Portugal will also have a retooled defense as Fabio Coentrao is out with a thigh injury, and Pepe picked up a deserved red card, no matter how much Thomas Muller embellished a slap to the face or how light Pepe’s headbutt was. A player with Pepe’s reputation has to keep his hands (and head) to himself and now his team is in a world of trouble.
Outlook
This will be the sixth meeting for these two countries, with both teams posting two wins and a draw. The Americans beat Portugal 3-2 in their last meeting, which came at the 2002 World Cup and that put Portugal behind the eight-ball in the group stage, which they failed to get out of while the Americans went on to the quarterfinals. The Americans wanted some revenge against Ghana, but now the shoe is on the other foot as Portugal would love to avenge that loss.
This should be an open game and neither team has a good defense for many reasons. This looks like a very entertaining draw.
Pick: Draw
