Altidore won't play for U.S. against Portugal

Jul 10, 2014 - 1:13 AM Manaus, Brazil (SportsNetwork.com) - American striker Jozy Altidore, as expected, will miss Sunday's World Cup match against Portugal because of a left hamstring strain.

U.S. Soccer made it official on Thursday, but added that forward Clint Dempsey and defender Matt Besler are fit and available for the Group G contest.

Altidore was hurt during the first half of the opener against Ghana on Monday. He had to be carried off the field on a stretcher.

The severity of the injury was not disclosed and there was no determination if Altidore would be able to return for the final round-robin match against Germany on June 26.

Besler also suffered a hamstring strain against Ghana, but it was not deemed serious and he was removed at halftime as a precaution.

Dempsey, meanwhile, took a boot to the face and sustained a broken nose against Ghana. He had scored the first goal in the 2-1 U.S. triumph and was able to finish the contest.