In an attempt to head off the spate of illnesses, unscheduled jury duty and mysterious deaths in the extended family that inevitably face employers on Thursday, Orlando City is organizing a World Cup lunch break.

With the U.S. Men's National Team's crucial final group stage match against Germany taking place at noon, Orlando City is asking employers to allow their employees an extended lunch break from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. to allow soccer fans to support the U.S.

Like the first two matches, there will be an official watch party on Wall Street.

For more information, including a list of participating companies, go to Orlando City Soccer's website.

Orlando among top 10 cities with World Cup fever

Sunday's draw between the United States and Portugal was the most watched soccer game in U.S. TV history, and Orlando is one of the hottest spots in the country when it comes to watching the World Cup.

According to ESPN, Orlando is among the top five metered markets watching the first 32 games on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC:

  1. Washington, D.C. (5.0 average rating)
  2. New York (4.3)
  3. San Francisco (4.1)
  4. Orlando (3.8)
  5. Los Angeles (3.7)

What needs to happen for the U.S. to advance?

With four points already secured, the U.S. needs either a draw or a win against Germany to secure a spot in the Round of 16. If the U.S. loses, they will need help in the Portugal vs. Ghana match.

Here are the scenarios for the U.S. to advance:

  • Win/draw vs. Germany
  • Loss and Portugal-Ghana draw
  • Loss and win tiebreaker vs. Portugal-Ghana winner

Tiebreakers

If the United States loses, Ghana would qualify instead if either game is decided by a margin of two goals or more. If the U.S. loses, Ghana would need to win by two goals or be involved in a higher-scoring one-goal win. For instance, a 1-0 scoreline in both games would put the U.S. through on head-to-head. So, if the U.S. loses 1-0, then Ghana must win 2-1 to qualify on goals scored.

To surpass the U.S., Portugal will need a goal-difference swing of five (head-to-head is level because of Sunday's tie). For instance, Portugal would need to win 3-0 and U.S. lose 2-0 (or an equivalent scoreline). The teams will draw lots if goal difference is identical (this would happen if U.S. loses 3-0 and Portugal wins 2-0, for example).