The United States pulled out a surprising 2-1 victory over Ghana in their World Cup opener despite getting outshot 21-8 by the team that had eliminated them from the previous two tournaments.
Memo Ochoa saves help Mexico earn draw vs. Brazil
A major reason for that victory was goalkeeper Tim Howard, who made four saves and kept the United States alive during the onslaught of attempts. Ghana did expose the Americans' vulnerability to offensive aggression though, which will force USA to rely on Howard even more as squads with better goal-scorers attack.
Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa made himself an international star with his glowing performance vs. Brazil on Tuesday, recording six saves, including two spectacular plays against Neymar. His heroics allowed the Mexicans to withstand Brazil's shots on goal advantage, and Howard will be called upon similarly in the "Group of Death" with Germany and Portugal ahead.
In addition to his difficult on-field task, Howard also carries a burden of leadership for the Americans. In talking with CBS though, he projects no struggles with all that pressure. "It'll be tough but it will be tough for the other teams too," Howard said.
"You know, we have always been a good team who rally around each other and who is not afraid to stand toe to toe with a giant, we've done it before and we'll do it again."
If Altidore can't play for an extended period of time thanks to his hamstring, their scoring will be down and that weight on his shoulders increases. U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann still seems to be unclear about whether his gifted scorer will return soon.
"With Jozy we've got to see how he now reacts the next couple days with his hamstring and we're full of hope that he comes back still in this tournament - and that's what we kind of work on every day," Klinsmann said. "The medical staff is doing a tremendous job [for] weeks so we still have to hope that Jozy will be back. How quickly? That is down to his healing process."
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