World Cup live blog: June 17

(Felipe Dana/AP)

It was like watching a different game during the first and second halves. The latter proved more more exciting with Alexander Akinfeev’s howler, which put South Korea on the board, and Russia’s scrambling equalizer. Both teams fought hard to draw at 1-1. Here’s how FIFA broke the numbers down.

Goals

Russia: 1, Alexander Kerzhakov at 74′

South Korea: 1, Lee Keunho at 68′

Total shots

Russia: 17

South Korea: 10

Shots on goal:

Russia: 9

South Korea: 6

Fouls

Russia: 16

South Korea: 6

Possession percentage

Russia: 49 percent

South Korea: 51 percent

Corners

Russia: 4

South Korea: 4

Saves

Russia: 4

South Korea: 5

Offsides

Russia: 0

South Korea: 0

Red cards

Russia: 0

South Korea: 0

Yellow cards

Russia: 1, Oleg Shatov at 49′

South Korea: 3, Son Heung Min at 13′, Ki Sungyueng at 30′ and Koo Jacheol at 90′

But for all the wrong reasons. He made a howler in the net that gifted the South Koreans the first goal of the match. Russia was lucky to equalize. Despite the draw, though, Alexander Akinfeev’s mishandling of the ball became one of the most popular World Cup memes of the night.

First blooper of World Cup 2014: Igor Akinfeev - https://t.co/LtgwzMbHTq

— World Cup 2014 (@WorldCupPosts) June 17, 2014

BREAKING: Vladimir Putin reacts to Igor Akinfeev’s blunder. pic.twitter.com/bDpDPp5BSP

— BBC Sporf (@BBCSporf) June 17, 2014

To the goal keeper’s house. #RUS #KOR pic.twitter.com/WoCPBdW7I9

— FIFA (@FIFA2014BRA) June 17, 2014

Koo Ja-Cheol of South Korea and Sergey Ignashevich of Russia go up for a header. (Christopher Lee/Getty Images)

This is better news for South Korea than Russia, who came in as the favorite.

Which means Russia get the free kick. Luckily for South Korea, it did not produce another goal.

Prior to South Korea’s goal in the 68th minute Russia had 4 touches in the attacking penalty area. They have 6 since #RUSvsKOR

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 17, 2014

Both teams are turned up and fighting hard.

(KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images)

He came on at minute 71 and scored at minute 74.

Alexander Kerzhakov proved to be the missing link. It’s 1-1 now with just 15 minutes to go.

Alexander Kerzhakov, the only player on Russia’s team who has ever seen World Cup action, goes on the pitch in place of Yury Zhirkov. This might be the team’s best chance to equalize.

Lee Keun-Ho crept one around the Russian goalkeeper, who collapsed to the pitch after his miss and put both hands to his face. The score is 1-0, South Korea.

(David Gray/Reuters)

This is Russia’s first substitution and it’s a safe bet considering Shatov earlier was booked with a yellow card.

(David Gray/Reuters)

The Russian goalkeeper stopped a scorching free kick from Son Heung-Min.

This is South Korea’s first substitution. They have two left and Russia has three.

(Eric Gaillard/Reuters)

It’s Russia’s first.

The second half started off promising for the Russians, who found two attempts at goal. Sadly for them, they didn’t succeed at either of them.

Russia’s forward Alexander Kokorin, left, vies with South Korea’s Yun Suk-Young. (JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)

Both teams are having trouble getting it together.

Son Heung-min’s two shots so far. Miles away. #KOR pic.twitter.com/lmvWjUE37I

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 17, 2014

This is very uncharacteristic for the Bundesliga player.

It was a real shame, as he was wide open thanks to sloppy Russian defending.

39’ Son missed the chance. Powerful shot but no accuracy #RUS 0-0 #KOR #RUSKOR #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/q7czqMF0hQ

— AFC Asian Cup (@afcasiancup) June 17, 2014

(Christopher Lee/Getty Images)

Ki Sungyueng gets the booking after sliding under Alexander Samedov and completely knocking him off his feet. Samedov was very slow to recover, but he’s  back in.

Team Russia Coach Fabio Capello, apparently, didn’t choose Sergei Ignashevich to be the captain because of his skills, ESPN broadcasters said. Capello chose him because “he speaks English and can talk to the referees.”

The coach maybe should’ve kept that to himself…

Twenty-five-year-old midfielder Ki Sungyueng is doing phenomenally right now.

PASS MAP: Ki Sung-yueng has been as tidy as ever in midfield. 100% pass accuracy. Impressive. #KOR pic.twitter.com/SHOZwW6pp6

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 17, 2014

(PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images )

A late defensive move proved to be a little reckless, resulting in a yellow-card booking. The Korean star will have to tread carefully now, knowing two yellow cards earn a red card booking, which would expel him from the match.

So far, however, the star player has yet to aim correctly, despite a couple of real scares. Russia will have to watch out for him, however, as right now he seems like the Korean with the best chance of hitting the back of the net.

Korea wants some revenge after this incident #avengethequeen #KOR pic.twitter.com/ZZHL5awSm9

— The Slickness (@the_YOOKulele) June 17, 2014

Zusi, on ailing Besler, his SKC teammate: ″I fully expect him to be back with the guys tomorrow.”

— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) June 17, 2014

His teammate Graham Zusi thinks so. Besler is currently undergoing an MRI, however.

(Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images)

Get pumped!

Son Heung-Min (Jose Coelho/EPA)

Those familiar with the Bundesliga will recognize the name Son Heung-Min. The South Korean transferred to Bayer Leverkusen in July for $14 million after spending three seasons at Hamburg. He’s also only 21. The Associated Press writes:

“Son is a striker who likes to use his pace to sprint past defenders from deep and then shoot from distance. He tends to score in streaks. And if he can get into groove in Brazil, South Korea will possess a powerful weapon.”

Russia’s strong defense, however, could be a spoiler. The action starts in just 10 minutes.

Russia’s goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images)

Unlike most other teams in the World Cup, Russia doesn’t have too many big-name stars who play on elite European clubs. In fact, they don’t have any. Every single player on Russia’s roster belongs to Russian leagues. This may actually end up working a bit in their advantage, as it means few other World Cup teams will have had any experience with the country’s players.

Of notable strength, this the team’s defense, which features these three players from CSKA Moscow. Don’t underestimate them.

Igor Akinfeev, the goalkeeper. He’s been the best in Russia since 2005 and playing soccer since he was four.

Sergei Ignashevich, defender. This veteran first made the national team in 2002 and has shown a lot of promise since. This could be his year.

Vasily Berezutskiy, defender. Also a veteran, this player made his debut for Russia in 2003. He works well with Ignashevich and together are a force to messed with.

#KOR LINE-UP: S R Jung, S Y Yun, Y G Kim, H M Son, C Y Park, Y Lee, J C Koo (c), K Y Han, S Y Ki, C Y Lee, J H Hong #RUSKOR #WorldCup

— FIFAWorldCup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 17, 2014

#RUS LINE-UP: Akinfeev, Ignashevich, Glushakov, Kokorin, Berezutskiy (c), Shatov, Zhirkov, Samedov, Fayzulin, Eshchenko, Kombarov #RUSKOR

— FIFAWorldCup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 17, 2014

Guillermo Ochoa (Mike Blake/Reuters)

Mexicans are happy; Brazilians are not. Mexican goalkeeper, who doesn’t have a club team at the moment, wowed everyone with his crazy saves against the World Cup favorites. The World Cup favorites, however, seemed a bit lackluster, with unusually sloppy defending, a failure to connect their crosses and an under-performing Fred. We may see a bit more changes to the starting lineup when they face Cameroon in six days. The game ended with no goals scored, making it only the second match so far to finish in a draw.

Read the full recap here.

In the meantime, here’s how the official FIFA stats broke down.

Goals

Brazil: 0

Mexico: 0

Total shots

Brazil: 14

Mexico: 13

Shots on goal

Brazil: 8

Mexico: 3

Fouls

Brazil: 13

Mexico: 18

Possession percentage

Brazil: 51 percent

Mexico: 49 percent

Corners

Brazil: 5

Mexico: 3

Saves

Brazil: 3

Mexico: 7

Offsides

Brazil: 4

Mexico: 0

Red cards

Brazil: 0

Mexico: 0

Yellow cards

Brazil: 2, Ramires at 45′ and Thiago Silva at 79′

Mexico: 2, Paul Aguilar at 59′ and Hector Herrera at 76′

Thiago Silva, with a header from five yard out, should’ve still had it though.

Mexico’s midfielder Jose Juan Vazquez vies with Brazil’s midfielder Oscar. (Francois Xaver Marit/AFP/Getty Images)

Oscar is out; Willian is in for Brazil. And Giovani dos Santos is out; Raul Jimenez is in for Mexico.

And now everyone is playing just kind of messily. Not to be confused with Messi-ly.

This is a huge opportunity for Mexico at this point in the match.

(YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Hector Herrera leaves the pitch and Marco Fabian goes on.

Oribe Peralta comes out at minute 74.

Fred. (Julio Munoz/EPA)

Let’s see if this helps. Fred wasn’t great today.

Fred vs. Mexico: 47% pass accuracy, 0 take-ons, 0 chances created & 0% aerial duels won. #BRA pic.twitter.com/FjAb76TfIa

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 17, 2014

Stranded at São Paulo airport for 11hrs. Watching the football on the departure hall floor… #SBSWorldCup pic.twitter.com/CFjztMysjy

— Brett Mason (@BrettMasonNews) June 17, 2014

At least they have something to watch.

Mexico is giving away a lot of free kicks. This one goes to Neymar, who fails to convert.

Fred takes the free kick for Brazil, but could not convert. It’s still 0-0.

#Brazil vs #Mexico pic.twitter.com/srbHUVbPBT

— HuffPost Sports (@HuffPostSports) June 17, 2014

It also didn’t quite make it in, but the Mexican offense is putting Brazil on notice. They’re outplaying the favorites!

But the Mexican player ultimately missed. The shot traveled just over the top of the goal. By the way, his nickname is “Little Rooster.”

While defending the Brazilian stepped on the boot and ankle of Mexico’s Rafael Marquez. It looked pretty painful.

(SERGEY DOLZHENKO/EPA)

Some substitutions are on the way. The first: Ramires is exchanged for Bernard.

A few of those shots were simple to save, but others were a bit more complicated.

Ochoa has done a tremendous job so far.

Brazil is undefeated in 58 straight competitive home games since 1975, last losing 3-1 to Peru in the 1st leg of the 1975 Copa América semis

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 17, 2014

Fans shouldn’t get too worried yet. There’s another half to be played and there were some explosive plays from the team during that first half.

It’s 0-0, but the play has been anything but boring.

Excruciating, though? For Brazil’s fans who are used to being ahead at this point, most definitely.

Brazil’s midfielder Ramires vies with Mexico’s defender Andres Guardado. (Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images)

Brazil’s Ramires didn’t do anything worse than some of the earlier fouls that happened that did not result in a booking, he was just the unlucky one to get the first card.

(Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images)

The results aren’t in yet as to Altidore’s status after he strained his hamstring on Monday night, but they will be soon. Our reporter on the ground, Steven Goff, confirms that the star will undergo an MRI later today. Altidore is keeping an optimistic attitude. Goff reports:

After Monday’s match, Altidore said he hopes to return soon. “We’ll see what happens. I would love to, but what matters is the team.”

Goff’s also got the scoop on Clint Dempsey’s nose, which was bloodied last night with a shin to the face. Read it all here.

But Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa makes the crucial save.

The Mexican’s kick just barely missed the goal when Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar declected it above the crossbar.

(Francois Xavier Marit/AFP/Getty Images)

The latest foul took Neymar to the ground, but still the Turkish ref fails to dole out a card. Both sides are getting very lucky… or unlucky, depending on how you look at it.

The Brazilian came in very late with a tackle and failed to even get contact with the ball. The result brought a Mexican player to the ground pretty hard. However, some sweet talking by Alves to the referee seems to have calmed the situation, which probably should’ve ended in a yellow card, down.

Kobe Bryant #BRAvsMEX #FIFAWorldCupBrazil. pic.twitter.com/22reNKAmxm

— Coach NBA. (@CoachNBA) June 17, 2014

PASSION: Neymar in tears during the Brazilian national anthem. pic.twitter.com/e6ZIsnDQ3w

— BBC Sporf (@BBCSporf) June 17, 2014

It was a touching moment that brought to light how passionate these players are.

Is this a message from Mexico? Perhaps the underdogs let it be known that they’re here to play.

(Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

The hair’s sprayed, the faces are painted and the anthems have been sung. Let’s go!

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant is in the house for Brazil-Mexico in Fortaleza. He instagrammed his ticket.

(Andre Penner/AP)

This is awesome! Well, unless you happen to be sitting behind him…

Pick a #WorldCup Side! Retweet for #BRA Favorite for #MEX #BrazilvsMexico pic.twitter.com/YRC2qdttK3

— SOCCER.COM (@soccerdotcom) June 17, 2014

Brazil’s is on the left and Mexico’s is on the right.

Chinese airline replaces stewardess uniforms with Brazil shirts #WorldCup2014 #BRAvsMEX #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/TPzJKDwPJZ via @BR_uk

— Rami (@Ramisms) June 17, 2014

Since China doesn’t have a team in the World Cup, I guess it makes sense that they’re throwing their support to Brazil? Maybe? In any case, that’s what Chinese airline Lucky Air has done, replacing their stewardess uniforms with flirty Brazil kits.

(H/t: Bleacher Report)

Despite England’s loss on Saturday, Daniel Sturridge isn’t going to get depressed and sloppy. Quite the opposite, it seems. He stayed up late to iron so he wouldn’t have to sport “crushed clothes.”

Brazil vs Mexico: Team lineups #BRAvsMEX pic.twitter.com/BKZmTJpi1q

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) June 17, 2014

#MEX LINE-UP: Ochoa, Rodriguez, Marquez (c), Herrera, Layun, Dos Santos, Moreno, Guardado, Peralta, Aguilar, Vazquez #BRAMEX #WorldCup

— FIFAWorldCup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 17, 2014

#BRA LINE-UP: Julio Cesar, Dani Alves, Thiago Silva (c), David Luiz, Marcelo, Paulinho, Fred, Neymar, Oscar, Ramires, Luiz Gustavo #BRAMEX

— FIFAWorldCup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 17, 2014

Ramires is set to replace an injured Hulk. And with one yellow card already, Neymar must play clean or he risks being expelled. Unsurprisingly, however, the soccer star isn’t nervous. He said via The Guardian:

“I am not worried, I am going to play to win the second game. It’s not what I wanted but that’s the way it is. It’s all part and parcel. I am going to play my normal game. If I start thinking about it, that’ll make it worse.”

(Bernat Armangue/AP)

If you thought England had a rough game against Italy on Saturday, it’s in for a heck of a battle on Thursday when it meets Uruguay. The team’s star player who sat on the bench during Uruguay’s devastating loss to Costa Rica on Saturday is reportedly all set to play Thursday and the striker is confident. Per The Associated Press:

“I know all the players in the England squad either because they’re my teammates or because I’ve faced them. They have some defensive flaws we can exploit.”

Brazilian radio is reporting a record 693 kilometer traffic jam in Sao Paulo as people head home to watch #worldcup match vs Mexico.

— Reed Johnson (@RJohnsonWSJ) June 17, 2014

In case you’re wondering, 693 kilometers equals 430 miles.

(Dennis Sabangan/EPA)

Second-half substitutes Marouane Fellaini and Dries Merten scored goals 10 minutes apart late in the second half as Belgium defeated defensive-minded Algeria, 2-1. Full match stats and commentary can be found here.

Algeria is still looking for its first World Cup win since 1982.

Dries Mertens. From Belgium with love. #BELvsALG pic.twitter.com/yXwMRNOQyb

— ESPN (@espn) June 17, 2014

But who wouldn’t after making the second, possibly winning goal for Belgium?

/dies of panic attack. RT @eric_adelson Crush of people on Rio subway two hours before Brazil match. pic.twitter.com/a0F4nxZ61i

— Chris Mottram (@ChrisMottram) June 17, 2014

Algeria’s hoping this last substitution can add some much needed fire to the team’s offense. Carl Medjani, who plays for defender for Valenciennes, leaves at minute 84 and Nabil Ghilas comes on.

(Michael Steele/Getty Images)

It’s not shaving cream, it’s most certainly not to be used to top a strawberry shortcake. That foam the refs have been laying at the toes of players to mark where they should stand during penalty and free kicks is actually a special combination of just two ingredients, water and pressurized butane. Geek.com writes:

“[T]he butane expands quickly when released from the can and causes the foam to expand, whereupon it quickly evaporates. With butane seeping into the atmosphere and the water seeping into the field, the foam is usually totally invisible within 2-3 minutes of being put down.”

Voila!

Second-half substitute Dries Mertens gave Belgium a 2-1 lead over Algeria in the 80th minute with an absolute laser.

MERTENS GIVES LEAD 2-1 https://t.co/rYwyfm1uVI

— Football Tweets (@FutballTweets) June 17, 2014

Belgium is out of fresh legs to use, as it’s already made its three allowed substitutions, but Algeria still has one to go. They’ll need to use it smartly if they want to pull ahead of what looks like a very strong Belgian team right now. The score is tied 1-1.

Marouane Fellani and his hair headed in the equalizer for Belgium in the 71st minute, finally breaking through Algeria’s defensive crouch.

The way Belguim is attacking, more goals could be imminent.

What a header! https://t.co/HSoHpvvrDk

— Football Tweets (@FutballTweets) June 17, 2014

(Philippe Desmazes/AFP/Getty Images)

Islam Slimani, aka ‘Super Slim’ as he’s known by his fans, comes on for Algeria, as El Arabi Soudani goes off. And just in time, perhaps, as it seems Belgium is picking up their play in hopes of equalizing.

(Dennis Sabangan/EPA)

Never mind that these fans are currently watching Algeria vs. Belgium, they’ve got other things on their mind.

Belgium has substituted Divock Origi for Romelu Lukaku in the 58th minute.

Nacer Chadli. (Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images)

At minute 46, 27-year-old midfielder Dries Mertens took 24-year-old Tottenham Hotspur Nacer Chadli’s place on the pitch for Belgium.

RT @delta Good luck to Belgium in the second half pic.twitter.com/KonyHclqve

— Adam (@illex) June 17, 2014

Marouane Fellaini (Sergio Perez/Reuters)

Yep! It’s Manchester United’s Marouane Fellaini of Belgium. The six-foot-four-inch athlete is more like six-foot-eight thanks to his glorious mane. We’ll see if he comes off the bench in the second half.

After the United States beat Ghana on Monday evening, Delta airlines sent out a celebratory tweet that suggested there were giraffes in Ghana. There are no giraffes in Ghana.

Twitter user Ben Allain is keeping the Delta-mocking flame burning bright at halftime of Algeria-Belgium.

And at the break, it’s Algeria ahead! @delta @bruce_arthur pic.twitter.com/rpUIPKRtG3

— Ben USAllain (@BenAllain) June 17, 2014

Really, someone should do this for every remaining World Cup match.

Belgium is 1-12-2 in #WorldCup history when trailing at half (win came in the 1986 Round of 16 over Soviet Union).

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 17, 2014

(Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images)

After Feghouli scored the match’s first goal with the penalty kick, the Algerian team congregated and kneeled to “kiss the pitch,” as it is generally known. This celebration, which is so popular among Muslim players that you can even perform it in FIFA video games, though isn’t about thanking the field, and in fact, doesn’t even require any grassy smooches.

Demba Ba, a Senegalese soccer player born in France explains to Taqwa magazine:

“I’ve always learned that when God has given you something, to always thank Him! One of the best ways is to do the sajdah [an Islamic prostration pose]. That’s just why I’m doing it. Because when I score, it’s because of God and I just wanna thank Him for everything He gave me in life. People ask me what I’m doing. People ask me why I’m kissing the ground. I explain to them that in the prostration is when we’re closest to Allah.”

After scoring on a penalty kick, Algeria is parking the bus in front of its goal in order to prevent a Belgium equalizer. It’s working so far, as that 1-0 lead has held up into the break. Match stats and commentary can be found right here.

After the goal , #ALG tactics for the rest of the game pic.twitter.com/cWUszcnhDW

— Football Stuff (@FootbalIStuff) June 17, 2014

(Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Before the match, the Algerian who plays for Valencia in Spain, said he saw no reason to be scared of Belgian team. Feghouli said via The Epoch Times:

“We do not fear anyone or anything in particular among the Belgians. Many of us play in the top European leagues; we are accustomed to facing top players. It is true that we have collectively never faced such a strong team, but in a game, everything is possible. And as Belgium is the favorite team in the group, it will have a lot of pressure, and we, the least experienced of the group, will try to create a surprise.”

Surprise!

After Belgium’s Jan Vertonghen was whistled for taking down Algeria’s Sofiane Feghouli in the box, Feghouli converted the penalty kick to give Algeria a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute.

Goal! 1-0 #ALG poor defending from Vertonghen! https://t.co/m7ZktUIYvO

— World Cup Vines (@VinesWorldCup) June 17, 2014

Noted Belgium enthusiast Matt Brooks is not amused.

#Algeria didn’t score once in the 2010 #WorldCup. They only needed 24 minutes to score in Brazil. Dreadful start for the #RedDevils.

— Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksWP) June 17, 2014

Algeria hadn’t score a World Cup goal in a long, long time.

Algeria has scored its first World Cup goal since June 3, 1986. 72 unsuccessful shots were taken since the nation’s last score. #BELvsALG

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 17, 2014

There have been a few false alarms so far in the first 20 minutes, but the crowd in Belo Horizonte is staying hype and hopeful that the two teams begin to connect their crosses and start attacking.

(Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

It really is a face-palm!

(Via Imgur)

London-based artist Emma Allen is the responsible party for making this spectacular photograph, which she said took two-and-a-half hours to set up. Here’s how she did it (via The Independent):

“She wore a swimming cap to make her head look like the earth and painted the intricate detail on with different shades of gold. The black background was created by painting her arms black and propping herself against a black pillow.”

Now, that’s fandom.

(H/t: USA Today)

(Reuters)

“From their last line of defense to their aggressive attackers, Belgium boasts more than enough talent to feast on an otherwise ho-hum Group H.” So says The Post’s Matt Brooks in his look at a Belgian team that could surprise some people at the World Cup, starting Tuesday against Algeria in a match that’s about to kick off. Check out the rest of Brooks’s analysis here.

Dan Steinberg of the D.C. Sports Bog looks at the World Cup TV ratings in D.C. Hint: They’re pretty good.

#BEL LINE-UP: Courtois, Alderweireld, Kompany (c), Vertonghen, Witsel, De Bruyne, Lukaku, Hazard, Van Buyten, Dembele, Chadli #BELALG

— FIFAWorldCup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 17, 2014

#ALG LINE-UP: Mbolhi, Bougherra (c), Ghoulam, Halliche, Feghouli, Medjani, Bentaleb, Soudani, Taider, Mahrez, Mostefa #BELALG #worldcup

— FIFAWorldCup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 17, 2014

Here’s Mario Balotelli’s sticker book, a photo taken from his official Facebook page.

Mario Balotelli’s World Cup panini sticker book is outstanding… pic.twitter.com/Ehuc4k86lR

— SPORT Humour (@SportHumour) June 16, 2014

Fritz Hahn of the Going Out Gurus is back with the latest “World Cup Lunch,” this time focusing where to watch Belgium-Algeria, which kicks off in about 45 minutes.

ESPN’s World Cup TV ratings are highest in DC. Next three: San Francisco, New York City and Boston.

— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) June 17, 2014

Dan Steinberg of the D.C. SportsBog will have more on this later Tuesday.

Your engagement story pales in comparison to Nick Brusich’s, who asked his girlfriend to marry him at halftime of the USA-Ghana World Cup game in Brazil.

Every Saturday during the fall, the Washington State flag makes it to the shooting location of ESPN’s “College Gameday” football preview show. The tradition started in 2003 and continues to this day.

Now, the Cougars’ flag has made it to Brazil for the World Cup, as this (somewhat blurry) photo shows.

Washington State flag makes World Cup cameo: http://t.co/bS2uVOXLSB Of course it did… pic.twitter.com/Wf8gRAcLPr

— LostLettermen.com (@LostLettermen) June 17, 2014

(Associated Press)

Lost amid the celebrations over John Brooks’s game-winner against Ghana on Monday night is the fact that the U.S. soccer team is a banged-up bunch. Jozy Altidore left the game in the first half with a strained hamstring (it’ll be evaluated Tuesday) and Clint Dempsey suffered a broken nose.

USA Today’s Nancy Armour writes that if the United States doesn’t make it out of the group stage, Coach Jurgen Klinsmann is to blame because he left Landon Donovan off the squad.

But the euphoria can’t mask the issues the Americans have – issues that Klinsmann has to answer for.

The furor over Klinsmann’s decision to drop Donovan has largely died down since the U.S. got to Brazil. But the sight of Jozy Altidore being carted off 20 minutes into the game with a hamstring injury, might very well come back to haunt Klinsmann.

Donovan may not be the player he was four years ago, when his goal in stoppage time carried the U.S. into the second round in South Africa. He may not even be the player he was last summer, when he went on a scoring spree that carried the U.S. to the Gold Cup title.

But he’s not washed up, either, and he would have been just the kind of insurance policy Klinsmann and the U.S. could use right about now. Start him or bring him on as a sub. Either way, the Americans definitely could have used his skill and savvy Monday night, to say nothing of the upcoming games against Germany and Portugal.

Armour also questioned the team’s fitness, especially because Klinsmann places such a high value on it.

Just as he did with Germany in 2006, Klinsmann has made fitness a priority for his team. Training sessions are more frequent and challenging, and he and his staff track every physical data point possible. So while other teams fretted about the conditions in Brazil, the Americans dismissed them. Few teams would be fitter, they scoffed, or more prepared for the elements.

But on a night when the heat and humidity weren’t all that oppressive, Matt Besler couldn’t even make it into the second half and several players were gasping and clutching at body parts. Instead of looking like gym rats after being under the watchful eye of Klinsmann and his staff for the last month, a few looked more like guys on a rec team trying to shake off the winter sloth.

Besler’s substitution was only a precaution, Klinsmann said. But it forced him to keep Beasley on at the half when it was clear he was in over his head with Ghana’s fast-paced attack. Ghana may as well have taken up residence on the right side for as much as the Black Stars went after the four-time World Cup veteran.

It was only their spectacular lack of accuracy that kept the score from being 6-2.

This TV reporter in Portland, Ore., should win a Pulitzer for breaking-news coverage.

ESPN has some early updates on Clint Dempsey’s nose and Jozy Altidore’s hamstring.

UPDATE: Clint Dempsey has a broken nose. Jozy Altidore’s strained left hamstring will be evaluated this afternoon.

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 17, 2014