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Sunday June 22nd - 1:00PM | ||
| vs | PORTUGAL | ||
| FIFA RANKING 14 | FIFA RANKING 3 | ||
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| HOW THEY QUALIFIED |
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| USA The Americans had an ominous start to their final round of qualifying in the CONCACAF zone, losing out 2-1 on the road in Honduras. The result had many in the US media questioning Jurgen Klinsmann’s approach and tactics. All that suspicion quickly melted away, however, as the German proved totally up to the task, guiding the Stars and Stripesdeftly to a first-place finish in the six-team Hexagonal. He experimented with old players in new positions, new players throughout the squad, changed formations freely and generally created a new atmosphere of confidence and competition in the team. They won an astounding seven of their ten games, scoring a Hexagonal-high 15 goals, conceding only eight, losing only once, and finishing four full points above runners-up Costa Rica in the final standings. If the trajectory continues for Klinsmann’s rampaging side, the sky might just be the limit in Brazil. PORTUGAL For the second time in succession Portugal had to go through the play-offs in order to advance to the world finals. Reprising their aggregate defeat of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the road to South Africa 2010, the Portuguese saw off Sweden 4-2 over two legs to book their place at Brazil 2014. Their hero of the hour was none other than Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored all four of their goals against the Swedes to round off a qualifying tournament full of ups and downs for Paulo Bento’s side. They began their bid to reach their sixth FIFA World Cup as the favourites to win Group F, having made the semi-finals of UEFA EURO 2012, where they lost on penalties to Spain. And though they held their own against Russia, losing in Moscow but winning the return fixture in Lisbon, the Portuguese had to settle for second place in the section after surprise draws at home to Northern Ireland and home and away to Israel. That left them with no option but to take the play-off route again, but in a duel that pitted together two of the world’s best players, Ronaldo got the better of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the scorer of his side’s two goals, to guide the Portuguese safely to Brazil. |
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RECENT RESULTS |
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| USA | PORTUGAL | ||
| 16/06/14 - GHANA 1-2 USA 15/10/13 - PANAMA 2-3 USA 11/10/13 - USA 2-0 JAMAICA |
16/06/14 - GERMANY 4-0 PORTUGAL 19/11/13 - SWEDEN 2-3 PORTUGAL 15/11/13 - PORTUGAL 1-0 SWEDENG |
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| PLAYERS TO WATCH | |||
| USA Jozy Altidore, of English Premier League outfit Sunderland, emerged as the complete package during the final qualifying competition. Left out of the team due to poor form and attitude in the semi-final round, Klinsmann reconsidered and wasn’t let down by his burly striker, who scored goals for fun and was the perfect partner for Clint Dempsey in attack. Landon Donovan, long-time creative icon of the US national, made a return to football after a self-imposed months-long ‘sabbatical’ and linked up beautifully with the sturdy central midfield presence of Roma’s Michael Bradley. With Tim Howard still a dominant presence between the sticks, the Americans are loaded with ability wherever you look. |
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| PORTUGAL As he showed in the play-off against Sweden, Cristiano Ronaldo is still very much Portugal’s go-to man, though the peerless Real Madrid star is supported is by a very able cast. The central-defensive pairing of Pepe and Bruno Alves is the cornerstone of a very solid rearguard that also features flying full-backs Joao Pereira and Fabio Coentrao. Joao Moutinho is the heartbeat of a creative midfield unit, while Nani can also be relied upon to shine alongside Ronaldo. |
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