Matthew Niederhauser is reporting from Brazil with support from the Pulitzer Center.
The rain is still coming down about an hour before the match. Fans are desperately trying to get out of Recife where flooding is leaving people up to their knees in the water. The stadium is about ten miles from the city center and people are hopping out of their cars on the highway as soon as they arrive. There is a metro and bus service, but they are already overloaded.
Some American fans showed up extra early to begin drinking and chanting at roadside restaurants and bodegas next to the stadium. Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, and Tom Petty are being blasted to wild abandon. Enthusiasm seems undiminished by the weather. There are rumors that the field is unplayable and the match will be delayed, but right now it looks like everything is set for the Germany v USA showdown. If anything the rain should slow down the game and benefit the USA team. A draw or a win will send them through to the knockout stages.
