Christiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese won’t be the only things the United States will battle on Sunday.
The U.S. men’s national team will play its second game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup at the Arena de Amazonia in Manaus, Brazil, a remote city located in the Amazon rainforest that’s known as one of the hottest and most humid locations of the World Cup.
Weather forecasts predict an 80 percent chance of rain in Manaus for Sunday’s USA-Portugal matchup — scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. ET — which could make for less-than-ideal conditions for a U.S. team that isn’t exactly used to playing in tropical weather.
U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, however, says his team is more prepared for the heat than some might think.
“I think we are very well prepared for this climate here in Manaus,” Klinsmann said Saturday, via ESPN.com. “It’s similar to climates in CONCACAF or Central America, or even if you go to Florida and play in Miami. It’s similar to what we experience here. I think we are very well prepared for tomorrow.”
The Americans have had five days to recover after a grueling 2-1 win over Ghana in their Group G opener on June 16.
For goalkeeper Tim Howard and the U.S. squad, that was plenty of time to ensure that the weather won’t be an issue when they take the field against Portugal on Sunday night.
“The team seems to have trained really well the last couple of days,” Howard said. “We got a lot of sleep after the first game when we arrived back in Sao Paulo. We’ve not done anything different to prepare for the heat. I think we’re fit and we’re conditioned. As long as we get good sleep and stay hydrated, we should be fine.”
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