Match with Portugal sets viewership marks in United States

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US soccer fans react to Portugal\'s tie-goal near the end of the game as they watch the game between US and Portugal in Richmond, Va., on Sunday, June 22, 2014. (AP Photo/Richmond Times-Dispatch, Daniel Sangjib Min) (

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The United States’ 2-2 World Cup draw with Portugal is a key moment for soccer, ranking as the most-watched non-football telecast in ESPN history.

The Nielsen company said an average of 18.2 million viewers watched Sunday evening’s game on ESPN. Coupled with Spanish-language viewers on Univision, it had a total of 24.7 million viewers in the United States, tying it with the 2010 World Cup final as the most-watched soccer game in the United States.

The 6.5 million people who watched on Univision represented the highest viewership for a match involving the United States on that network.

On ESPN, the telecast hit a peak of nearly 23 million viewers between 7:30 and 8 p.m. EDT.

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