Who is on the Portugal Soccer team?

This is is what an unlucky draw looks like.

AFP/Getty /Raphael Alves

“The game is cruel.” So said American goalkeeper Tim Howard after the United States conceded a heart-breaking goal in the fifth minute of injury time to hand Portugal a 2–2 draw in their critical Group G World Cup match. Star central midfielder Michael Bradley, who surrendered the turnover that led to Portugal’s breakaway goal in the game’s dying seconds, had the same thought: “That’s soccer, it can be a cruel game sometimes.”

Every U.S. fan who had nearly witnessed the greatest come-from-behind win in the history of the U.S. men’s national team feels this cruelty. But U.S. Group G rival Ghana feels it even more deeply. The Ghanaians have experienced heartbreak equal to that of America’s twice at this World Cup. Last week, John Brooks scored the game-winner for the United States in the 86th minute of a game the Black Stars dominated and should have tied or won. And on Saturday Ghana went ahead 2–1 against group favorites Germany in the 63rd minute only to concede the equalizer eight minutes later.

Still, soccer often balances out the tough losses with lucky wins and allows the best teams to ultimately get where they deserve to go. Despite Sunday’s heartbreak in Manaus, the U.S. team is exactly where it deserves to be, which is in a very good position to advance to the round of 16 heading into the final group game against Germany.

Thanks to the lucky opening three points taken from Ghana, one more point was all the U.S. really needed against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. With it, they can determine their own fate against Germany on Thursday. A win will see them finish top of the group and a draw will allow them to qualify in the second spot. They are even in decent position to go through if they lose on Thursday, as long as Ghana or Portugal doesn’t move ahead of them on goal differential.

On balance, this is a position they would have certainly taken at the start of the tournament, and it’s one that they thoroughly deserve to be in after a sloppy and lucky win over Ghana and an occasionally sloppy and unlucky draw against Portugal.