8:47 PM EST: What were your thoughts on the match? What are you thoughts on the state of the team going into Portugal?
8:43 PM EST: That does not mean that the next match will be any easier for the Americans who showed they have a lot to work on defensively. They also could be without key players Jozy Altidore and Matt Besler who both were subbed off due to muscle injuries during the first-half.
8:41 PM EST: Portugal will be without at least one of their starting back-line as Pepe will miss the game due to his red card. They could also be without Fabio Coentrao who left with what looked like a groin injury.
8:35 PM EST: The United States plays next against Portugal who were beaten 4-0 by Germany earlier in the day. The match is this Sunday evening in the Arena de Amazonia in Manaus.
8:31 PM EST: One of the best things about the internet. This comes to us from the official Wikipedia page of John Brooks.
8:29 PM EST: Steven Goff from the Washington Post tweeted out that Clint Dempsey, "believes his nose is broken and was coughing up blood." Yikes.
8:25 PM EST: Let's take a look at the final statistics from this crazy match.
Possession: Ghana 61.7%, United States 38.3%
Shots (On Target): Ghana 21 (3), United States 8 (4)
Passing Accuray: Ghana 456 passes (83% complete), United States 276 passes (73% complete)
Fouls: Ghana 10, United States 12
8:11 PM EST: 39,760 people were in attendance but much, much more than that will claim they were there.
8:09 PM EST: That was the fifth appearance for John Brooks in an American jersey. For my money, that goal was better than the goal by Landon Donovan in 2010. The USA was expecting to beat Algeria in that game.
8:07 PM EST: The United States has made the knockout round in both tournaments where they won their opening match (1930 and 2002). How far will they go now?
8:04 PM EST: How this memory that John Brooks will never forget??
8:01 PM EST: I think this was the reaction across America after John Brooks' goal.
8:00 PM EST: That is the third win in an opening match for the United States in their World Cup history.
7:57 PM EST: Oh boy that was sweet. Three points for the United States. A huge victory that puts them into a great position going into a match with a weakened Portugal side on Sunday.
90+5': FINAL WHISTLE!!! THE UNITED STATES GETS THE THREE POINTS WITH A 2-1 WIN OVER GHANA!
90+4': Goal kick to the United States, 1 minute remaining.
90+3': Ghana on the attack, Beckerman with a great clearance. Muntari with a long shot that is over and wide.
90+2': Yellow card to Sully Muntari. He crushed Clint Dempsey as a thunderstorm starts outside of my house right now.
90+1': Dempsey is doing a great job holding the ball in the corner, kills 20 seconds.
90': Jermaine Jones earns a costless kick from 30 plus yards out. Five minutes to go.
89': The corner is headed away by Brooks. Ball is out for a goal kick.
89': Corner coming to Ghana.
88': It's nervous time.
87': Klinsmann works his magic! What an amazing goal!!!
86': GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JOHN BROOKS!!!! OFF THE CORNER!!!!! IT'S 2-1!!!!!!
84': The United States is just holding on now. HUGE DEFENSIVE PLAY from Kyle Beckerman who pokes the ball away from Michael Essien who was wide-open at the top of the box.
82': GOAL! GHANA! It's Andre Ayew and we are tied. What a shot with the outside of the boot and near post.
79': United States with some possession in the offensive third, Dempsey gets a shot off but does not get much on it.
77': United States Sub: Graham Zusi (On), Alejandro Bedoya (Off). Ghana Sub: Atsu (Off), Adomah (On)
76': A cross from Ghana pinballs around the box before being cleared by John Brooks.
74': Bedoya with a good defensive play only to grab his hamstring. It looks like Graham Zusi will be the third sub.
73': ESPN update on Altidore, he will have scans on the hamstring tomorrow in Sao Paulo
72': Ghana sub: Rabiu (Off), Essien (In)
71': Ghana will loads of sustained pressure in the American half but Jermaine Jones with a huge defensive play that goes out for a goal kick.
69': A United States corner goes through everybody and out for a goal kick. Michael Bradley stopped his back post run
67': Geoff Cameron is shown stretching after a poor pass. Hopefully there is nothing more to this.
65': Jones pulls down Muntari for a costless kick. It is taken short to Gyan who fires a shot right into Howard.
63': Save! Jermaine Jones takes a shot from distance that is saved by Kwaraey. On the other end, Gyan gets a good look that is deflected out for a corner. Boateng volleys off the corner but not well.
62': Atsu takes another look from distance but the ball is wide.
62': Michael Bradley looks lost.
59': Ghana Sub: Jordan Ayew (Out), Kevin-Prince Boateng (In)
58': SAVE!!! Gyan with a costless header from 17 yards and Tim Howard with a diving save.
56': MISS!!! Muntari finds Gyan at the top of the six yard box but his header is just over the bar.
55': WIDE!!! Sully Muntari with a long distance shot that goes just wide of the far post.
55': Bradley skies a ball intended for Bedoya. Bedoya looks to have hurt his hip.
54': Beasley bombs forward but cannot get a shot away.
52': Christian Atsu gets some space but skies his shot over the bar.
51': Asamoah Gyan takes advantage of a poor clearance by John Brooks, Brooks makes up by drawing a foul.
47': A heavy touch by Bedoya puts to bed the United States attack.
46': Asamoah Gyan goes down after being stepped on by Kyle Beckerman.
46': And here we go, the second half is underway.
7:05 PM EST: Confirmation that John Brooks is subbing in for Matt Besler who leaves with an apparent leg injury.
7:03 PM EST: It looks like John Brooks will be coming in for Matt Besler
7:00 PM EST: What are your thoughts on the first half?
6:56 PM EST: Here is a look at the stats from the first half:
Possession: Ghana 62.3%, United States 37.7%
Passing Accuracy: Ghana 234 passes (83% accuracy), United States 133 passes (76% accuracy)
Fouls: Ghana 4, United States 7
6:53 PM EST: A great start for the United States with Dempsey scoring within 30 seconds but the loss of Jozy Altidore could be critical for future success.
45+6': There is the halftime whistle with the score United States 1 Ghana 0
45+5': Atsu with a good look and a low cross to Jordan Ayew who mishits the ball. Tim Howard collects easily.
45+5': Ghana with a late corner that is cleared out on the front post.
45+4': A great pass from Jones that Bradley dummies but nobody was making the run.
45+2': Sulley Muntari with a really tough challenge on Jermaine Jones. No cards given, it was a poor challenge but Jones should not have brought his boot down on Muntari
45': It was not a good delivery as Kwarasey punches the ball clear. The fourth official signals for five minutes of stoppage time here in the first half.
45': Opare with a foul on Jermaine Jones. Bedoya to put the cross in.
44': Ghana looking over the top to spring Asamoah Gyan but the ball is too far and right to Howard
42': A chance comes on the other end but Johannsson cannot get the ball on goal.
41': Oh no, Matt Besler is now clutching his hamstring. He will try to tough it out
39': Daniel Opare gets rocked by Aron Johannsson. A costless kick is given.
39': Asamoah Gyan with a glancing header that is over the bar and out for a goal kick.
38': The Americans are having problems getting the ball past the half-line.
37': Matt Besler plays a ball straight out of bounds, not his fault though as the pass back from Beasley was poor.
36': Dempsey is back on the field.
34': ESPN reporting that Altidore has a strained hamstring. Thank goodness it is nothing worse. Chris Wondolowski is warming up just in case he is needed.
33': Clint Dempsey is down with a bloody nose after taking a shit to the face from John Boye.
32': SAVE! Tim Howard with a save on a great shot from Asamoah Gyan.
30': A yellow card to Mohammed Rabiu for a forearm to the face of Kyle Beckerman.
29': Tough call by Kyle Beckerman at the top of the defensive box. He is very lucky to not get called for that.
28': Ghana with some chances but nothing to test Tim Howard.
26': The United States pressing forward with Alejandro Bedoya in possession, he takes a shot from distance but the ball is over the bar.
25': Yikes, Kyle Beckerman is hauled down from behind by Jordan Ayew. No booking comes of it.
23': On the other hand, it is the FIFA World Cup debut for Aron Johannsson.
22': It'll be Aron Johannsson who comes on for Jozy Altidore. You have to feel for Altidore who finally broke his scoring slump. Get well soon JA!
21': Bradley hits Altidore on a run up the wing and oh no, he pulls up. Looks like a hamstring issue. Oh boy this is not good for the United States.
19': Fabian Johnson finds some space, puts in a low cross that falls to Altidore, he turns and fires a shot that blocked and into the hands of Kwarasey
18': Jordan Ayew is not happy with the foul called on him but hey, that's what happens when you tug down the center-back by the shirt.
17': Ghana starting to find some space behind the American defense. Opare with a good look but his cross was too high.
15': Asamoah Gyan gets a throughball but Tim Howard is quickly off of his line to deny the chance.
14': The American support are making themselves heard in Natal. Chants of "U-S-A" and "I Believe" ringing through the Arena das Dunas
13': Daniel Opare sends in a high cross that ends up in the waiting hands of Tim Howard
12': Christian Atsu mades a run beyond DaMarcus Beasley but he is offside.
10': Arena das Dunas is rocking with "I believe" from the American support.
9': Beckerman looks to spring Fabian Johnson up the right side but the ball is just too far ahead and out for a goal kick.
7': Asamoah Gyan with a bombing run up the right side, puts a dangerous cross right into Tim Howard's arms
7': A cross into Altidore but he cannot get enough on the header.
6': Delivery goes into John Boye but his header is well wide.
5': Foul called on Bedoya, Muntari to whip the costless kick into the box.
4': That was not the start that Ghana was looking for. Daniel Opare is down for Ghana.
2': Unbelievable. Dempsey took a pass, broke the defenders ankle and put a shot off the far post and in.
USA - Ghana
1': GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!!! IT'S CLINT DEMPSEY!!!!!! THIRTY SECONDS IN!!!!! WHAT A START!!!!
1': Ghana gets us underway!
5:58 PM EST: It is time. Kickoff in Natal.
5:56 PM EST: Listen to that roar as they announce the singing of the Banner. It's time for the Star-Spangled Banner.
5:55 PM EST: First up is the national anthem of Ghana.
5:54 PM EST: I am getting goosebumps, that FIFA anthem is really cool.
5:53 PM EST: The United States will be in their all-red kits. They are being led out by captain Clint Dempsey of the Seattle Sounders FC.
5:50 PM EST: I love the quote from Bob Ley about their only being one time zone during the FIFA World Cup. It is so true.
5:48 PM EST: The teams are in the tunnel. It is time for the walk-out and the national anthems now! Get ready America, it's time.
5:32 PM EST: ESPN had started their coverage and boy howdy this is going to be fun. United States and Ghana starts in less than 30 minutes.
5:20 PM EST: Clint Dempsey will draw level with Eric Wynalda for 9th on the all-time caps list for the USMNT. (Thanks to Joshua Mayers for that nugget)
5:17 PM EST: Watching Twitter is just as fun as looking the game. The nerves are very evident, at least in my timeline.
5:16 PM EST: And here comes the rest of the team! The outfield players are now out for warmups!
5:14 PM EST: The goalkeepers are on the field going through warmups. Rimando and Guzan are working with the goalkeeper coach while Tim Howard is jogging in the box.
5:12 PM EST: The anticipation is growing around the country for this match.
5:02 PM EST: Our referee today is Jonas Eriksson from Sweden. He has been a FIFA official since 2002. Notable matches that he has called this year are the Atletico Madrid - Chelsea First Leg, The Second Leg of the Bayern Munich - Manchester United series and the First Leg of the Manchester City - Barcelona series all in the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League
5:00 PM EST: Ghana lineup is accurate too. An hour to kickoff now.
4:56 PM EST: Just over an hour to go for kickoff of United States and Ghana.
4:49 PM EST: United States lineup has been released and it confirms what we posted an hour ago. It is a 4-4-2 diamond with Michael Bradley on the top of the diamond and Kyle Beckerman at the base of the diamond.
4:42 PM EST: The bars are packed in Seattle. Cheers boys!
4:41 PM EST: Here is my second question for the viewers tonight, if you think the USMNT will score tonight, who gets the goal?
4:36 PM EST: The pace of the Iran and Nigeria match has picked up with both teams getting good looks at goal. It is still 0-0 in the 78th minute.
4:31 PM EST: Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated tweeted out a picture as he walked outside of the stadium in Natal. His quote "This could feel like a US home game."
4:29 PM EST: The lineups that have posted are not official as of yet, those will be out within a half-hour. I will post the official lineups when they are released.
4:26 PM EST: I am seeing lots of people replying that they think the match will end in a draw. A draw may not be the worst thing in the world for the United States considering Portugal will be without Pepe and most likely without Fabio Coentaro and Hugo Almeida
4:21 PM EST: The team is on their way to the stadium!
4:17 PM EST: For comparison, here is what the United States lineup looked like in the 2010 matchup with Ghana: Tim Howard; Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Bornstein; Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey; Robbie Findley, Jozy Altidore. Man how times have changed.
4:11 PM EST: I like the lineup for the United States. It looks like the defensive plan is to take away the space in the midfield and force Ghana to beat them from the wings. A good plan when you consider the speed at fullback with Beasley and Johnson.
4:03 PM EST: The general consensus is that the United States must win the match to have a chance to advance. That could not be more accurate, I do think that someone will win this match today by a scoreline of 2-1. I just don't know who it's going to be.
3:56 PM EST: Paul Carr from ESPN just tweeted out the updated Soccer Power Index odds to advance from Group G. No surprise Germany is at 98-percent but the United States is sitting in second at 37-percent.
3:52 PM EST: Let's get a discussion going shall we? Here is our first poll question this afternoon, What is your scoreline for this match and why?
3:49 PM EST: The match going on right now has just gone to halftime with the score still leveled at 0 between Nigeria and Iran
3:47 PM EST: This match will be the third straight World Cup match against an African opponent for the United States.
3:45 PM EST: The United States lineup has been announced it looks to be a 4-4-2. Tim Howard, Fabian Johnson, Geoff Cameron, Matt Besler, DaMarcus Beasley, Kyle Beckerman, Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, Alejandro Bedoya, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore.
3:37 PM EST: I am not an expert on the tactical approach for Ghana but it looks like it could be a 4-1-4-1 with Rabiu Mohammed lining up at the defensive midfielder spot and Gyan as the lone forward. We will see when the tactical display is released.
3:31 PM EST: Grant Wahl has tweeted out a link from the Ghana FA webpage which has listed the starting lineup for the Black Stars. It looks like this: Adam Kwarasey, Daniel Opare, Kwadwo Asamoah, Jonathan Mensah, John Boye, Rabiu Mohammed, Christian Atsu, Sulley Muntari, Jordan Ayew, Asamoah Gyan, Andre Ayew.
3:28 PM EST: Update from the match going on right now, the score is Nigeria 0, Iran 0 in the 29th minute
3:25 PM EST: This match has even more significance after the result earlier from the Germany and Portugal match which ended 4-0 in favor of the Germany. If you missed that match, check out my recap of it right here.
3:19 PM EST: More pictures of support from around the country; this one comes to us from Wrigley Field in Chicago.
3:14 PM EST: We are still about 2 hours and 45 minutes away from the kick in Natal and the questions now for the United States are all about the starting lineup. Most media members believe that we will see the same lineup that took the field against Nigeria in Jacksonville just nine days ago. I would agree with them, I am hoping that we see DaMarcus Beasley start at the left back spot over Tim Chandler, I think that Beasley's speed and experience will be key in this match against a well organized Ghana squad.
3:10 PM EST: There are numerous look parties going on around the country today including one at Grant Park in Chicago. If you are at one of these massive viewing parties tweet your pictures @tenorman85 and they just may be posted on here.
3:06 PM EST: This is the message painted on the wall of the locker room today
3:03 PM EST: It is amazing to me to see the amount of national pride that comes out during these big international competitions. There are so many messages of support for the United States Men's National Team on social media. Everybody is bringing out their red, white and blue today.
3:00 PM EST: Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, welcome to VAVEL USA's live coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Today our match-up features the United States - Ghana in a Group G showdown coming to you from the Arena das Dunas in Natal, Brazil.
2:50 PM EST: This leads us to the match taking place in Jacksonville just nine days ago as the United States beat Nigeria 2-1.
2:40 PM EST: A few days later the United States traveled across the country to square off with Turkey at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey
2:30 PM EST: Now the 23-man roster had been set and it was time for the send-off series starting with a match against Azerbaijan at Candlestick Park in San Francisco
2:26 PM EST: The United States would face off with Mexico next at the University of Phoenix Stadium. The match would end in a 2-2 draw.
2:24 PM EST: The second match was one of the more bizarre fixtures in Team USA history as they were set to face off with the Ukraine in Eastern Europe. Political tensions rised in the host nation and the match was forced to be moved to Cyprus where the US lost 2-0.
2:21 PM EST: This first match comes from early February as the United States was finishing up their annual January camp for players in Major League Soccer and in off-calendar leagues. The USA faced South Korea coming out on top 2-0 at the StubHub Center
2:20 PM EST: To get you set for this match-up, let's take a look back at highlights from the United States's tune-up match as they prepared for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
2:17 PM EST: The thing that makes this series scary is the fact that this will only be the third meeting all-time between these two nations. All of those meetings taking place in the FIFA World Cup.
2:14 PM EST: They would meet again during the 2010 tournament this time in the knockout round of 16. The scoreline was once again 2-1 but this time the match ended in extra time. Goalscorers for Ghana were Kevin-Prince Boateng and Asamoah Gyan. Here is a look at the highlights.
2:10 PM EST: This is also the third consecutive tournament in which these two nations will meet each other in the FIFA World Cup. The first meeting came during the group stage of the 2006 tournament where Ghana defeated the United States 2-1 behind goals from Haminu Draman and Stephen Appiah. Here is a look at the highlights.
2:06 PM EST: This is the opening match of the group stage for both nations. The United States has played in eight previous group stages in the FIFA World Cup with a record of two wins, two draws and four losses in their opening match of the group stage. Ghana, meanwhile, has participated in two with a record of one win and one loss.
2:00 PM EST: The kick-off temperature is expected to be in the lower 80s with around mid 60-percent humidity.