The World Cup 2014 schedule is live as the United States takes on Belgium in the round of 16 and the game is on ESPN Radio and online from ESPN starting up at 4 pm ET as the teams play in the knockout stage and this is a hugely important game for US soccer and it comes after the team made it out of the group of death.
The Us took on Germany after the Portugal match for a Group G game and the matchup has a live stream on the radio from ESPN Radio and is on TV from ESPN as team USA tries to advance to the knockout round of the last 16 with a win and the matchup starts at 12 pm ET in Recife from the Arena Amazonia in Manaus, with players like Clint Dempsey and Cristiano Ronaldo in action.
The United States comes in after winning their first match against Ghana and they have three points and are right behind Germany in the Group G standings and they can advance to the next round with a win on Sunday. Germany has four points after their draw against Ghana in a 2-2 game and they are still the favorites in the group and the US is in a situation where they can clinch a spot into the round of 16 and that is needed since beating Germany will be very tough. Clint Dempsey scored a goal 30 seconds into the first game against Ghana and that set the team up for a nice game before allowing Ghana to tie things up and John Brooks eventually put in a corner kick to save things.
The United States team comes in with a number of players on the roster stepping up and they will need all hands on deck, as Dempsey is banged up and Jozy Altidore will be out for this game after pulling a hamstring early against Ghana. The team is looking to start fast against Ghana and they are hoping that Altidore can return against Germany. Kyle Beckerman played very well heading into the World Cup and he could be a factor in the game on Sunday night, while the rest of the defense has to step up against a tough team like Portugal and they will be coming out motivated.
Portugal opened up with a 4-0 loss against Germany and that makes this a must win game for the team and the US will have to play better overall than they did against Ghana. Portugal has Ronaldo coming in looking to prove himself after the dramatics from Lionel Messi over the weekend and United States hopes his knee injury keeps him at bay a bit in this matchup or at least off of the score sheet. Michael Bradley did not have a good game against Ghana and the United States still won and that actually is a promising development, as Jurgen Klinsmann said he expects Bradley to be ready to play on Sunday night. Bradley is considered to be the best midfield player in the American system and he has been able to stick with the team after his father was fired as head coach following the last World Cup.
Bradley had a goal in the game against Slovenia in the 2010 World Cup and the team finished in first place in their group with England and they wish they had that group this year. The team is in the group of death and they have the chance to advance with a win and the weather could be a major factor in this game, as the temperature and the conditions could be very harsh in the Amazon jungle. Klinsmann spent a big part of training camp working on stamina and physical fitness, as he realized that the US team has not had as much experience working in hot weather heading through last year and he says they are prepared for this game.
