Altidore's race against time to play Belgium draws Klinsmann's optimism

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SÃO PAULO — The first sight that greeted the media when we arrived at U.S. training here after a long flight from Recife on Friday was Jozy Altidore jogging around the perimeter of the practice field at São Paulo FC. Ordinarily this wouldn’t be a big deal, but the fact he was doing it (and without limping) suggested Altidore might be ready after his hamstring strain in the opening World Cup match against Ghana to return in the round of 16 clash against Belgium on Tuesday.

“We are very optimistic,” said U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann on Friday. “Every day is a big step forward with Jozy. It’s 11 days now [since the injury], and it’s looking better every day, so we are optimistic we have him being a part of the Belgium game.”

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Granted, Altidore hasn’t yet begun full training with the rest of the U.S. team. And granted, it seems unlikely he’d be able to go 90 minutes on Tuesday. But his presence, either as a 60-minute or 30-minute player, could make a huge difference for a U.S. team that could really use Altidore—and not just for his goal-scoring.

That was readily apparent when I pulled aside U.S. assistant coach Andi Herzog in the mixed zone following the U.S.’s 1-0 loss to Germany on Friday. Herzog is my go-to guy when it comes to explaining the U.S. team’s tactical strategies, and after a quick talk about the game and the U.S.’s advancement (“the best loss I’ve ever had!” he said), Herzog was quick to answer when I asked about the most important areas for the U.S. to improve against Belgium.

“Just a simple answer would be Jozy Altidore up front,” he replied. “Because he was our big guy with Clint [Dempsey] and behind him. Now we lost this weapon, and overall after his injury we did well, but today we struggled to play out of the back, to have better possession on the field. We have to do a better job in the next game.”

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To hear Herzog describe it, Altidore’s absence has made it a lot harder for the U.S. to possess the ball and in particular made Michael Bradley’s job as the attacking central midfielder much more difficult. “It’s now a different game because Jozy was our target player with speed and power,” Herzog explained. “Clint is a totally different type of player [than Altidore up top]. We have to find the right balance for the next game.”

A U.S. Soccer spokesman said Friday was Altidore’s third day of running on the side without participating in full training. In addition, Altidore did several stretches of his hamstring with the team's training staff. His readiness for Belgium on Tuesday is a matter of timing. Will there be enough before kickoff? But in this regard, Altidore may have gotten lucky that the U.S. finished second in the group instead of first.

Had the U.S. won Group G, the Americans would be playing on Monday. Now they’ve got Belgium on Tuesday—and 24 more hours for him to be ready.

GALLERY: Memorable U.S. Group Stage Moments

Memorable U.S. Moments of the 2014 World Cup

U.S. 2, Ghana 1

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Clint Dempsey scored 34 seconds into the match against Ghana, the fastest ever scored by an American in the tournament and the sixth-fastest in World Cup history.

U.S. 2, Ghana 1

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Dempsey used a nifty move to split John Boye and Sulley Muntari, then sent the left-footed shot past goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey, where the ball bounced off the post and in.

U.S. 2, Ghana 1

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Jozy Altidore suffered a left hamstring injury when he tried to control a long ball in the 21st minute against Ghana. He missed the next two games.

U.S. 2, Portugal 2

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In the first half against Ghana, Clint Dempsey suffered a broken nose after being kicked in the face by the high leg of defender John Boye.

U.S. 2, Portugal 2

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Dempsey stayed on the ground for a couple of minutes but never lost consciousness.

U.S. 2, Ghana 1

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John Brooks game winner on a header in the 86th minute of a 2-1 victory over Ghana will go down as one of the most memorable in U.S. World Cup history. It enabled the U.S. to defeat the team that had knocked it out of the previous two World Cups.

U.S. 2, Ghana 1

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Brooks' goal put the U.S. atop Group G with Germany, with Ghana and Portugal at the bottom, which is the way things would end up after the round-robin group stage play concluded.

U.S. 2, Portugal 2

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Jermaine Jones made his presence known against Portugal, tying the game at 1-1 with his curling shot after a cross from Graham Zusi made its way through the Portugal defense.

U.S. 2, Portugal 2

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Tim Howard got off the ground to make this finger-tip save in the first half against Portugal.

U.S. 2, Portugal 2

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Michael Bradley’s shot was excruciatingly saved off the line by Ricardo Costa in the 55th minute against Portugal.

U.S. 2, Portugal 2

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Clint Dempsey's second goal of the 2014 World Cup came in the 81st minute against Portugal and gave the U.S. a brief 2-1 lead. Dempsey used his stomach to direct the ball into the net from a cross by Graham Zusi.

U.S. 2, Portugal 2

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Tim Howard reacts after Silvestre Varela of Portugal scored the tying goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The 2-2 tie prevented the U.S. from clinching a spot in the Round of 16.

U.S. 2, Portugal 2

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U.S. fans across the nation and abroad had a similar reaction to the late goal by Portugal that denied the U.S. a chance of sealing an early knockout berth.

Germany 1, U.S. 0

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Jermaine Jones (front) and teammate Alejandro Bedoya collided violently in the match against Germany.

Germany 1, U.S. 0

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Neither Alejandro Bedoya is tended to after his collison with Jones. Neither was out of the game for long.

Germany 1, U.S. 0

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This header by Clint Dempsey was one of the few times the U.S. came close to scoring against Germany.

Germany 1, U.S. 0

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Tim Howard acknowledges the fans after the U.S. qualified for the knockout stage following a narrow loss to Germany and a Portugal victory over Ghana.