It’s funny how different a draw can feel for the two teams involved.

For Portugal, it has to be ecstatic to walk away from a draw, especially when considering they were seconds away from being eliminated from the tournament. They’ll need a strong result against Ghana and some help from the U.S./Germany game, but they still have a chance to advance.

But, for the U.S., the tie equals heartbreak. The U.S. was just seconds away from advancing out of the “Group of Death” before it even played Germany. Now, it still has a great chance to advance, but it’ll either come down to how it performs against Germany or how the Portugal/Ghana game fares.

Who says ties are boring? Here are five thoughts on the game.

5) Quality Of Play

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That had to be one of the best games I’ve ever seen the USMNT play. Ever. Not only did the team hold possession for much of the game, it created a multitude of quality chances throughout the entire game. The end results might not back it, but the U.S. played lightyears better against Portugal than it did against Ghana. For the entirety of the game, the U.S. held its own and even took it took to Portugal. Forget the end result for a second, that was awesome.

About Sean Wagner-McGough