Nuremberg, Germany ? Win and hope.

That’s what it comes down to for the U.S. soccer team.

After four years of painstaking preparation, after an opening flop and a valiant tie, the Americans must beat Ghana today and get some help to advance to the World Cup’s second round.

Boom or bust?

That will be answered today in an eight-sided stadium in Bavaria made famous by Hitler Youth marches.

“We know what we have to do,” U.S. captain Claudio Reyna said Wednesday. “There’s no hiding the fact that we need to win.”

For the United States to have a realistic shot at advancing to the second round, the Americans need Italy to beat the Czech Republic in a game that kicks off in Hamburg at the same time. There are other outcomes that could send the Americans through, but they are improbable.

If any of this happens, the likely reward would be a date with reigning champion Brazil.