The United States are in a difficult Group G in the World Cup in which they'll play Ghana, Portugal and Germany.

"If we play very well, are we capable of beating Ghana? Yes. Are we capable of beating Portugal? Yes. Are capable of beating Germany? Yes. We have to play well, and we have to force them to not play well," Donovan said. "That all ties into it. If we do that, we can advance. It’s also possible that we play as well as we can, and Germany, Ghana and Portugal could either tie us or beat us. They have great players, too. But as a starting point, if we don’t play well it’s going to be really difficult. That’s what we focus on. The rest of it, we can’t control, but I think we have a pretty good chance."

Donovan said he is aware of the challenges the team will face just to advance out of the first group.

"There are realities, right?" he said. "So Cristiano Ronaldo, I’m guessing, earns more than our whole team combined. He is, from a value standpoint, worth more than our whole team combined, if someone bought him versus our players on the open market. You can’t ignore that. It’s not an excuse, but it’s reality.

"He’s a special player and a special talent. We could play an amazing game against Portugal, and he could pull off two plays that only he can pull off, and we could end up losing. So what has to happen is we have to play well, no question."

Andros Townsend of Tottenham has been ruled out of England's World Cup roster with an ankle injury.

Townsend will undergo surgery on the ankle.

"Following further examination and consultation, Andros Townsend is to undergo surgery on his left ankle on Thursday (tomorrow) after damaging ligaments during  our fixture against Stoke City last Saturday," read a Spurs statement. "The injury is likely to sideline the young winger for up to ten weeks."

There are four Germans managing World Cup teams, the most of any other country.

Argentina, Colombia, Italy and Portugal each have three managers, while Bosnia and France have two apiece.

Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia, Brazil, Croatia, Holland, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Mexico, Nigeria, Portugal, South Korea, Spain and Uruguay are managed by their own countrymen.

Chile, Colombia, Algeria, Honduras, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Switzerland, United States, Cameroon, Russia, Japan, Iran and Greece are managed by foreigners.

Julian Draxler is confident he will be selected for Germany's World Cup roster.

Draxler has 10 senior caps as one of the best young attacking midfielders in Europe.

"First of all I want to achieve direct qualification for the Champions League with Schalke," 20-year-old was quoted by Der Westen.

"That would be perfect. But then I will go to the World Cup - no question."

Thiago Alcântara has returned to training with Bayern Munich just four weeks after suffering a knee injury.

Alcântara was expected to miss six to eight weeks, but he has made good progress in his rehabilitation and could return before the end of the season.

Alcântara's status for the World Cup with Spain had been in doubt.

Gonzalao Higuain had to be stretchered off in Napoli's draw with Inter on Saturday.

Marco Andreolli leapt to block one of Higuain's efforts late in the match.

There were initial fears that he might not be able to recover in time to appear in the World Cup this summer for Argentina, however, reports coming out of Italy suggest nothing is broken and that it is simply a minor sprain.

"Gonzalo Higuain has a trauma to the right ankle, which will be evaluated over the next few days," the club said in a statement.

Michael Bradley has undergone a previously scheduled minor procedure on a nerve issue in his foot.

Bradely had been bothered by the issue for some time.

“It just means he’s just got to get off it (the foot) for a week,” said manager Ryan Nelsen. “This was always planned, to do it at this time when we have a couple of weeks off.”

Bradley, who did not look himself against Dallas, had missed the previous game against Colorado due to quadriceps and groin issues.

Adnan Januzaj has decided to play for Belgium.

Januzaj is one of the best young wingers in the world and has made 24 appearances for Manchester United.

Belgian manager Marc Wilmots has been pursuing Januzaj for months as he also considered playing for England.

Miguel Herrera will choose his final 23-man World Cup roster on May 9, three weeks before the May 30th deadline.

Mexico is in Group A with Cameroon, Brazil and Croatia.

Diego Costa left Sunday's win by Atlético Madrid over Getafe on a stretcher in the closing minutes after he collided with the goalpost when scoring their second goal.

Costa's left leg crashed into the frame of the goal and was left with a large gash towards the top of his shin.

Diego Simeone confirmed that the forward has not done any serious damage.

Atleti revealed on their official Twitter account: "Luckily Diego Costa has only one injury (the wound) after hitting the post."