Is Ronaldo a Doubt for Portugal's USA Clash, or Not?

How much of a doubt is Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal’s crucial World Cup clash against the USA on Sunday? The messages are decidedly mixed. After once again leaving practiceearly with an ice pack placed over his troublesome left knee, reports in Spain surfaced claiming that the Real Madrid forward could be risking his career by playing in Sunday’s game.

According to Portuguese surgeon Jose Carlos Noronha, Ronaldo needs to take two months off from the game if he wishes to fully heal the injury to his knee. He added that a rupturecould risk tearing the tendon beyond repair.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s former coach at Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho, isn’t buying any of it. In a blog post for Eurosport, the Chelsea boss noted that the news from insidethe Portugal camp is that Ronaldo, who played 90 minutes in the 4-0 loss to Germany, is 100 percent fit and will start the game against the USA. At least, that’s what Portugal’s teamdoctor and coach Paulo Bento are saying. Mourinho also noted that players leave training all the time for icing and stretching out little knocks and that Ronaldo missing part ofWednesday’s practice session should be treated no differently.