2014 WORLD CUP
ESPN, 6:00 p.m. ET
This, though, is the big one today: Group G’s United States vs. Portugal. The U.S. surprised just about everyone, maybe even themselves, by beating Ghana in its first game, and now shares the Group G lead with Germany, which has much more secure footing at the top because, in its initial game, it trounced Portugal and emerged with a plus-four goal differential, a key factor in tiebreakers. (The U.S., after its first game, has a goal differential of plus-one.) So Portugal, which didn’t even expect to lose, much less be internationally embarrassed, against Germany, will be hitting the pitch today with a vengeance, and with a lot to prove. But the U.S. needs to hang on with at least a draw if it hopes to advance to the next stage, because its final Group round game, next week, is against top-ranked Germany. ESPN coverage begins 30 minutes before the game begins.