Note: This story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here.
The World Cup is really shifting into gear now, and the final group stage matches have already produced some dramatic moments. Yesterday saw South Africa and Canada both make history after they reached the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time. We also saw a cult figure say his potential farewell to Mexico, while Haiti proved this tournament isn’t all about winning.
We’ll have more on the above later in today’s newsletter, but we’ll start with the big one, the USA’s final group stage match. And while there is little riding on the game itself, a nation is hoping to preserve the World Cup bubble in which it’s currently living.
The Main Thing: A game that means nothing and everything at the same time
CNN Sports’ Kyle Feldscher has been on his travels and landed in Los Angeles this week ahead of the US’ final group game against Turkey.
