What It Takes For USMNT to Advance at World Cup

It was a heartbreaking moment for Americans last night when Portugal scored the tying goal in the last thirty seconds of the match. The U.S. could have easily advanced to the round of 16 if they had won, but not all hope is lost.

The U.S. is currently tied for first with Germany within group G. Both have 4 points, while Portugal and Ghana only have 1 point each. All the U.S. has to do is either win or draw in its next game, which will be against Germany on Thursday.

If the U.S. loses the match against Germany, there is still a chance the Americans could advance. If the Ghana vs. Portugal game ends in a draw, the two teams would end up with a total of 2 points each and would be eliminated.

However, things get a little complicated if Portugal or Ghana win their match, and the U.S. loses against Germany. The U.S. could only advance based on goal differentials. Portugal currently has a minus-4 goal differential, Ghana has minus-1 and the U.S. has plus 1. If Portugal wins, the team would need to make up at least 5 goals against the U.S. If Ghana wins, they would only need at least 2 goals against the U.S.

If the U.S. ends up being tied with another country based on goal differentials, then the country to advance along with Germany would be based on total goals scored. So far, the U.S. has scored 4 goals in the first two games, while Ghana has scored 3 and Portugal has scored 2.

Overall, the U.S. still have a decent chance of going on to the next round of the World Cup.