26 USMNT Moments, Past to Present: Fighting Through the Group of Death
The U.S. Men’s National Team battled soccer giants Ghana, Portugal and Germany in its group at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil
This is 26 USMNT Moments: Past to Present, a U.S. Soccer content series that covers 26 defining moments in U.S. Men's National Team history. From inspired victories to stunning goals, and the stars and hidden heroes who made them possible, each chapter reminds us that our dreams on the pitch are worth chasing. Together, they’ve built toward the biggest moment yet: the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
What do we say to the Group of Death?
In 2014, Clint Dempsey provided an immediate answer when he scored just 29 seconds into the USMNT’s first match of the World Cup. After months of being told how they had no chance to advance out of Group G, Dempsey and the U.S. finally got their chance to talk back.
To be fair, you can’t blame anyone for being a little concerned after the draw. Advancing against Germany, Portugal and Ghana would pose a real challenge for any team in any setting. The USMNT got the added challenge of facing Portugal in the ultra-humid town of Manaus and trying to overcome some personal demons against Ghana.
"It is one of the most difficult groups of the whole draw," U.S. head coach Jürgen Klinsmann said after the draw. "It couldn't get any more difficult or any bigger, but that is what the World Cup is all about.
The uphill climb started with Ghana. In addition to facing a good team, the USMNT would need to overcome bad memories. In 2006, a 2-1 Ghana win on the final day of group play eliminated the U.S. from the World Cup. In 2010, Ghana found a way to inflict even more pain. The Black Stars knocked the U.S. out of the competition in the Round of 16 thanks to a stoppage time winner from Asamoah Gyan. Another 2-1 win for Ghana. Another unpleasant exit for the USMNT.
But in 2014, Dempsey’s goal set the tone. The fifth-fastest goal in World Cup history gave the United States the earliest possible lead.
Unfortunately, that lead would only last 81 minutes. Ghana equalized deep into the match. It would have been understandable at that point to let the ghosts of 2006 and 2010 cause some panic. This time though, the U.S. were prepared to respond.
Four minutes later, center back John Brooks threw his head at a Graham Zusi corner and, for the first time against Ghana, put the USMNT on the right side of a 2-1 scoreline. For Brooks, it was both literally and figuratively a dream goal.
“I told some teammates that I would score in the 80th minute and win the game, and I did it – in the 86th minute,” Brooks said. “The dream was two days ago, and it was also a header from a corner.”
Brooks’ goal delivered three critical points in the most winnable match the Group of Death had to offer. Portugal and Germany were still waiting. First up: Cristiano Ronaldo and company.
This time, the U.S. faceplanted out of the starting gate. Portugal scored just five minutes in and put the USMNT under instant pressure. Instead of crumbling, the U.S. dusted itself off and began putting together what was nearly one of their best World Cup performances ever.
After going blow for blow with Portugal for nearly 60 minutes, Jermaine Jones decided it was time to throw a haymaker. Jones picked up a clearance 30 yards out, cut in on his right foot and sent a laser beam into the far corner of the net to deliver an equalizer and an all-time great USMNT goal.
With Portugal dazed, the U.S. took control. And in the 81st minute, Dempsey scored a “by any means necessary” go-ahead goal with his stomach. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a game-winning goal. With Portugal down to their final seconds, Silvestre Varela headed home an equalizer in stoppage time. What could have been a special result evaporated into a respectable 2-2 draw.
Still, the U.S. had earned a point that would prove very, very useful. The U.S. fell 1-0 to Germany, the eventual champions, in the final match of the group stage. But there were reasons to celebrate. First, they kept the German side close, something Portugal (and, famously, Brazil) did not do. And, second, they easily surpassed Portugal on goal differential despite the loss. The USMNT had walked into the Group of Death and came out clean on the other side.
Belgium were waiting for them there. Up against players like Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku, things weren’t going to be any easier now that they’d escaped the tournament’s toughest group. Belgium, with all their attacking firepower, would surely create plenty of chances.
And they did. But Tim Howard didn’t care.
For 90 minutes, Howard put on a show. In one of the all-time great performances in World Cup history, Howard, facing shot after shot, kept Belgium off the board through normal time. The U.S. attack didn’t have the same success—although a couple of agonizingly close chances went missing—but Howard stepped up to rescue them time after time.
“That has to be the best [goalkeeping] performance I’ve ever seen,” Belgium’s Kevin Mirallas said following the match. “I thought we’d scored many times. I don’t know how he kept them out.”
Eventually, Belgium broke through in stoppage time to earn what turned into a 2-1 win, but Howard’s performance dominated headlines. In the end, Howard had made 15 saves, a World Cup record.
“That's my job,” Howard said afterward. “That's what I signed up to do.”
In the end, the 2014 USMNT squad did their job. They finally broke through against Ghana. They pushed Portugal to the brink. They survived the Group of Death. And they put in a performance to be proud of in the Round of 16. For that, they’ll be remembered as a team that got told they were doomed from the jump and wrote their own story anyway.
Sam Jones covers MLS for MLSsoccer.com, and Atlanta United and NWSL Atlanta for FiveStripeFinal.com. Sam has covered MLS and Atlanta United since 2017.